The Archangel and the Reaper
by ThatGuy845
Summary: A boy with a dark past is found by a happy-go-lucky woman who offers him a chance to change his life for the better. A place that can give him friends, a family, a place that he can call home again. A guild known as Fairy Tail. Witness as he journeys throughout life with his new companions and mentor, all the while trying to uncover the truth and come to terms with his past.
1. Acknowledgments

Right, so I enjoy my stories to be like that of a book; plus I feel reading things like "Disclaimer, I do not own [Insert Name Here]." To be rather annoying and can take you out of the story. Especially those that are reading multiple chapters in one sitting. So, I've decided to make this the acknowledgments chapter, this way I don't have to write it at the beginning of every chapter. As well as to point out a few key things.

So, firstly:

 **I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL, OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!**

 **I AM THE CREATOR AND OWNER DYM SOHN!**

 **MY FRIEND OWNS JUNIPER BISH!**

Now, secondly, If you wish to gain a better understanding of what one of the main character's, Juniper, armour looks like, look up Dragon Slayer Ornstein, or Old Dragon Slayer from the Dark Souls series. That is essentially the appearance.

As for the second main character's name, Dym. It is pronounced De-yem. Not that of Dim. But, you may pronounce it in your mind however you see fit.


	2. Prologue

The year was X784, laughter and joy filled the hall of our favorite guild, Fairy Tail. Natsu and Gray were arguing as usual, heads slamming together as they shouted off insults. Lucy & Happy watched with smiles and laughs while Erza ate her cake, deciding to let the two have their fun for once. However, Cana seemed to be drinking more than usual, much to the notice of Wakaba and Macao.

"Hey, Cana, you sure you need to be drinking so much?" Wakaba asked.

"We know it's natural for you to drink until you're almost dead and all, but still. You'll run the whole guild dry." Macao said after his longtime friend while Cana finished her who knows what number it was barrel.

"Bah! Why do you care so much? We've got plenty down in the cellars and everyone knows I can hold my own, unlike you two!" Cana said as she fell into a fit of drunken laughter which let Macao and Wakaba watching with blank expressions. After she recovered from her fit, Cana continued, "I just feel like celebrating for some reason. Like a home coming party." The brown haired woman finished.

Wakaba raised an eyebrow as he asked,

"For who?" Suddenly, the door was kicked open causing all to fall silent.

Every single pair of eyes beamed their way towards the door to reveal two tall figures. One was completely covered in shining armor that could easily rival Erza's own. The same figure had a spear on their back and a sword on their waist. The helmet had a dragon like design engraved into the front with a long piece of hair like fabric protruding from the back.

The other wore a long hooded black leather jacket, which came down to the top of their knees complete with the hood covering their facial features. They wore a tight fitting dark blue polyester shirt underneath the jacket, dark brown cargo pants and black military boots.

All remained silent for a few moments longer until the hooded figure licked his chops like a dog before speaking,

"We're back~!" Silence… Then an eruption of cheers filled the hall as everyone stormed the two figures.

As everyone did so, Wakaba began to say to himself,

"Huh, guess it's those two you were celebrating about." To which Cana and Macao simply nodded in agreement before they joined in on rushing towards the figures.

While everyone else was crowded around the figures with questions being fired off at the two. That of Lucy, Gajeel, Panther lilly, Wendy, and Carla just stared in amazement at the display. The five had no idea who the two new figures were and honestly, they were very intrigued who could cause the entire guild you burst into such commotion. The five tried to make their way towards the figures, and as Lucy came next to Natsu, she looked to him and asked,

"Natsu! Who's here?!" He looked at her with a wide smile and answered,

"Team Archangel and Reaper!"


	3. The Meeting of Two Strangers

The Meeting of Two Strangers

The date was, August 31st, X777. The birds chirped as people bustled about the town market. Many browsing the goods for sale while others simply socialized with one another.

One person in particular wore heavy armour, which most would glance at for a second and admire the well-made craftsmanship. It shined brightly in the mid afternoon sun but did not blind any who looked. The helmet, which hung loosely on the side of the owner, was engraved with what appeared to be a dragon style design, as the back fanned out like the creature's skull. Attached to the top of the helmet was a long piece of blood red fabric, which gave off the resemblance of hair. They wore two necklaces, one of a rabbit and the other a dragon's tooth. Along with golden earrings that dangled down near an inch in both their ears, as well as a golden stud in their lip; and, though not visible, in their tongue. The one who wore the armour was a woman that stood 6'2" with shoulder length blonde hair that curled near the end, which bounced with every step. Her skin was of a tanned complexion while her eyes were a deep purple.

While the woman continued to walk, she did not seem to notice the figure that trailed behind her: An athletically built boy around 5'7" with unkempt black hair who was quite tanned. He had greenish blue eyes, and his body was littered with scars, some slightly faded while others seem fresh. These could be seen from the exposed skin of his clothing that consisted of a black tank top and cargo shorts with black boots.

The boy was now only a few feet from the woman, a narrow shadow began to protrude from his own and made its way towards woman, then began to make its way up her leg and towards her belt which held a dangling pouch. The boy watched the woman's head carefully, making sure she didn't look back at the wrong time, but also back to the shadow to make sure it neared his target. With every second that passed, the shadow grew closer but also did the boy's pulse in rate. Though this was not his first pick pocket, something about the woman scared him. But before he knew it, he felt the pouch in his grasp and swiftly brought it to his body, slipping it into his pocket. He continued to walk with the woman however, as to not draw suspicion and after a few minutes he turned down an alley with a small smirk plastered upon his face.

As he took a few more steps down the alley he reached into his pocket and drew his prize. He opened it to see it was filled to the brim with jewels.

"Easy grab." The boy said as he placed the pouch back into his pocket while turning on his heels… only to meet face first into a chest armour piece. The boy instantly jumped back and looked to see the same woman he had just stole from staring down at him with a look of annoyance.

The boy turned to jump up the building but felt an armoured hand grab his foot and slam him down onto the ground, knocking the wind out of his lungs in the process. As he attempted to catch his breath he felt the same hand reach into his pocket and retrieve the pouch he had just stolen, and opened it up to look inside.

"Hmmm… Seems to be the same amount as when I just had it. Nice lift, kid. But not nice enough." She retied the pouch to her belt as she continued speaking, "I saw you coming minutes before you even tried to steal from me. Your technique's pretty good, now how about you tell me why it is you're stealing when you have talents like that?" The woman asked but didn't receive an answer as the boy, who had caught his breath, just stared her down with eyes that spat malice and rage. But a hint of fear soon filled the same eyes as a polearm engraved with swirling runes before they ended at the blade suddenly appeared in her left hand in a bright light and was placed to his throat.

"When I ask you a question, you reply to it!" The woman commanded, but the boy still did not answer even though the fear was clearly visible within his eyes, but also, another look. A look that she used to have many years ago. A look of rage, hate, sadness and most of all, potential. The woman kept her eyes locked with his before allowing the spear to disappear and slowly sat down.

She let out a low sigh while closing her eyes followed by taking in a deep breath. After a few seconds of repeating this cycle she opened her eyes to reveal all anger gone and instead the same joyfulness that was prevalent moments ago back in the market. As all this happened, the boy watched her every move with careful detail. Making sure to be ready for any sudden attack, as he had learned to do over the years.

"Tell me your story." The woman said, leaving the boy confused.

"W-what?"

"So he does speak in the presence of strangers. Amazing!" The woman said with a smirk and joking tone. "I said, tell me your story. I can tell by your eyes you've had an interesting journey. So, tell me." The woman replied, to which the boy simply sneered at her.

"And why should I do that? I don't even know you. Plus, you just held a spear to my throat." The boy shot immediately.

This caused the woman to raise an eyebrow. "Oh? Keep in mind, you did just attempt to steal from me. And as for my name, that can easily be remedied. So, how about you tell me yours and I'll tell you mine. Deal?" The woman proposed.

The boy watched the woman carefully, as if sizing up her honesty somehow.  
"How can I trust you?"

"You can't. You'll just have to take a chance." The boy went to speak but was cut off by the woman. " _Just,_ like how you took a chance to pick pocket me." This shut the boy up instantly as he looked at the ground for a moment then sighed as he spoke,

"I guess I could answer a few questions."

"Lovely! Now, what of your name?" She asked in a childlike tone.

"My name is, Dym. Dym Sohn. You?" Dym answered.

"Juniper Bish." Juniper answered back as she held out her hand, but Dym did not take it. Instead, just stared at it cautiously like one would a king cobra. "…You shake my hand now." Juniper said after multiple seconds had passed.

"I know that!" Dym shot as he eyed the hand hesitantly again before grabbing it and gave a firm shake.

"Nice to meet you, Dym. Now shall you tell me your story?" Juniper asked while giving a large smile to which Dym simply gave her an untrusting glare.

"Look, just because I know your name now, doesn't mean I'm going to sit here and tell you everything I've done." Dym said before a dagger suddenly flew past both of them and landed in the ground next to his hand that he was leaning back on. Both looked up towards the roof to see at least ten men, all armed with weapons.

"You missed!" One yelled that wore a cowl around his face towards another that had large cape that was now pushed back to reveal a bandolier of knives.

"Shut it! Let's just get down there and kill the little bastard!" The bandolier wearer shouted as he grasped a knife, flipped it up into the air and caught the blade before throwing it towards the two with great speed.

Just as it was about to reach its target, that of Dym's head, Juniper caught the blade midflight with her armoured hand and threw it onto the ground. Dym stared with amazement along with the others at how easily she had stopped the blade. She looked towards the assassins and sighed as she stood up from her seated position as she spoke,  
"Gentlemen, surely we can talk this out."

"Shut it, you little wretch!" One shouted with a scar running along his left eye.

"You have no business here, just leave now and allow us to complete what we were sent here to do!" A second said in an attempt to reason as he had a long gray jacket.

"Let's just kill her too!" Another shouted, to which all but the gray jacket wearing man agreed with, but they did not listen to his protest

Juniper simply sighed again, before holding her right hand out followed by a glow and being filled with a sword that had a leather bound handle and flame like patterns on the hilt before asking to no one in particular,  
"Why don't people listen to me?"

Suddenly one of the men jumped from the rooftops and headed straight for the mage, his own sword drawn back. Juniper did not move until he was inches away from her. He brought the sword down, but missed as Juniper simply sided stepped to the right and delivered a hard punch to his kidneys. Audible cracks echoed and the man attempted to gasp, only for no sound to come as he fell onto the ground in a quivering mass.

"Whoa!" One of the other assassins said in shock while some groaned from the display, all the while Dym stared amazed at the power of the woman.

"Well, that was pretty easy." Juniper giggled as she looked towards the other men. "If you're all as weak as him, then I won't even break a sweat." The assassin's growled and sneered in anger from the insult as the, now nine, men jumped down towards the woman with rage burning in their eyes. All the while, Juniper never lost the smile she held on her face.

One gave a vertical slash with his sword, but Juniper blocked it with her own followed by delivering a hard kick to his stomach, then a hard knee to his face knocking him out cold. A second came from her left with two daggers and began to swipe wildly. Juniper dodged the attacks with ease just as before, then blocked one attack from the man and gave a head-butt to his nose. He reeled back in pain as Juniper flew past him in a flash, all the while slashing through him. The twin dagger wielder stood, seemingly paralyzed, but no blood came from his torso. Instead, he fell to his knees, then face, completely unconscious.

Everyone watched with shocked expressions at the now floating mage, who said with confidence,  
"Next." The seven others bared their teeth like before, only even more rage burned deeply in their eyes and charged once again.

As they all honed in on their target, Dym sat dumbfounded at how well the woman he had just met seconds before could dispatch the assassins he had known for so many years. Then the sound of a light thud caused him to turn and see one that was not part of the original ten had made their way behind him. Dym shot up to his feet and readied his fist as two daggers made from shadows formed, while a small smirk crept onto his face. He could easily recognize the man due to his Mohawk hair style.

"Hey, Sacki, how's it going? The Master still mad about me taking off?" Dym asked with sarcasm as the man, now known as Sacki, stepped close.

"You know it." He replied, revealing a gravely tone.

"Surely we can talk this out." Dym said in a joking attempt to reason.

"Yeah, I don't think so. You know the rules, Dym. Once we take a job, we always see it through. You know this as much as I do." Sacki said as he twirled his own dagger in his hands.

"Yeah, I know. But can't blame me for trying." Dym said just as Sacki leapt forward, dagger reeled back.

Sacki gave a slash to Dym's stomach, but he dodged and gave a hard kick to the man's face, staggering him back. He grasped it for a second but charged again. As the distance closed, a black and purple circle formed below the boy followed by three fist shooting out. One landed hard in Sacki's stomach, while the other two gave a left and right hook to his face. Dym then jumped forward and delivered an uppercut and diagonal slash to the Sacki's chest with his own dagger, staggering him back even more. But when he regained his balance, he looked towards Dym who now stood with his arms crossed complete with a patient smile while he waited for Sacki to become ready once more.

The assassin bared his teeth as he rushed forward and went to slash but stopped mid-way through, reached into a pouch and threw sand into Dym's eyes, who reeled back in pain. Sacki charged at the boy with his dagger ready to strike as he gave a thrust aimed at Dym's chest. But just as the dagger was inches from Dym's chest, it was stopped mid thrust from another hand made from shadows that shot up from the ground and grasped the blade. This was followed by a hard uppercut being delivered to Sacki's jaw by a second hand, launching him back.

"Just because you blinded me, Sacki, doesn't mean I'm stupid. I know you always go for the chest whenever you throw your sand at your opponents. After all, you're the one that taught me that trick, remember?" By now Dym had cleared his eyes of the grains and had restored his vision. Sacki simply chuckled as he spoke,

"True, Dym. True. But, that doesn't mean I've taught you _everything_ I know." Dym snorted as he formed another blade from his shadows in his hands while he replied,

"Prove it." Sacki got ready to charge before he looked behind Dym for a second. Sacki cracked his neck while straightening up in a more relaxed position and let out another chuckle.

"Don't have to. Goodbye, Dym." The boy gave a confused look before suddenly being knocked onto the ground from behind. As the cement slammed into Dym's head, his vision blurred for a few seconds before he felt a rough hand grab ahold of his hair and pull his head back as a blade was placed against his neck.

A deep voice spoke,  
"Nothing personal, Dym. Just doing what I'm paid to do." The shadow wielder recognized the voice. A man named Miklako who currently held the knife to his throat. A gruff man that taught Dym how to fight in close quarters.

"We were a family, Miklako! You all taught me something at one point! Doesn't that mean anything?!" Dym said with malice but also a hint of hurt in his voice.

"Okay, I'll admit, I am a little upset. But a job's a job, Dym. You know that!"

"Doesn't mean it hurts any less, you back stabbing bastards!" Dym spat.

"Yeah, but not enough for us to ignore a well-paying job. Again, sorry, kid. It's just business." Dym felt the blade increase in pressure against his throat and got ready for what came next.

Just then, he felt the pressure lessen followed by the blade falling to ground. Dym looked to see Miklako being held up by the back of his throat by Juniper as she levitated above the boy. Miklako flailed in pain, trying to break free from the woman's grasp but could not as Juniper looked down at Dym and commanded,  
"Move!" He swiftly did so as he rolled to the right and got back onto his feet. He watched the levitating woman, only to see a polearm appeared in her free hand as she delivered a hard swipe to his legs while letting him go, causing him to turn horizontal midair before giving a vertical slam to his ribs, producing a sickening crack while slamming him onto the ground with a loud audible thump.

His eyes went wide, yet blank of any emotion while his mouth hung open. No signs showed he was still alive until he gave off a small groan of pain. Dym's eyes widened at the brutal display of power he had just watched while Juniper looked towards Sacki; who stared with just as much shock as Dym.

"You have two options:" She began. "Either you leave now," Her tone hardened while her eyes narrowed. "Or I give you the same treatment as I did your friends." She then stepped aside to reveal that the other assassins were beaten into unconsciousness.

"W-whoa!" Dym muttered knowing that she had beaten them all alone and didn't even seemed to be tired.

Sacki shook where he stood as he tried to form words, only for stutters to come from his mouth before finally saying,  
"W-who are you?"

Juniper simply smirked at the question before making her sword appear in her other hand and levitated just a few feet higher in the air, causing the sun to reflect off her armour giving off a beautiful yet terrifying appearance. This, all the while as she spoke with a voice that demanded respect and fear,  
"My name is Juniper Bish, Archangel of Fairy Tail. Your comrades have felt my divine judgment! Now will you feel it as well, or will you choose the smarter option and leave?!" Sacki shook even harder as fear gripped his heart. He had met powerful opponents over the years, but not once had he felt this kind of power in his life.

Suddenly, he felt a sword against his throat causing him to jump slightly and to see that Juniper had shot forward and was now face to face with him as she leaned in just a few inches and spoke with venom,  
"When I ask you a question, you reply to it!"

Sacki quickly jumped back while dropping his weapons and got onto his knees and yelled in fear,  
"I'll leave! Just, please, spare my life!" Juniper stared down at the cowering man and simply snorted at the display before making her weapons disappear in a blaze of bright light.

"Very well," She spoke. "Now leave, and may we never meet again!" As soon as she finished speaking, Sacki jumped to his feet and sprinted down the alley way and out into the market.

Dym watched the entire display with wide eyes filled with shock and fear. He couldn't believe that he could have been given the same treatment mere minutes ago if she had not been so forgiving of him stealing from her.

"So!" Juniper suddenly said, her eyes and voice filled with happiness and childlike joy once more. "Where were we before being _rudely_ interrupted!?" She asked while delivering a hard kick to Miklako's ribs, who produced another low groan.

Dym tried to speak but nothing came out, just then, the sound of shouting was heard,  
"You there! Stay right where you are!"

Both looked to see multiple town guards approaching the duo, this caused Juniper to let out a low sigh of annoyance as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"About time you showed up!" She yelled towards the guards, who by now were in front of the two magic wielders as their weapons were drawn and a slight look of fear in their eyes.

"What is the meaning of all this?!" One guard with a low gruff voice asked. "Why did you attack all these men?!" Junipers eyes widened with rage.

"They attacked us! Nice work with getting here after I protected this young boy from these assassins!" She said while placing a foot on Miklako's back.

"Not from what we were just told." Another guard spoke, who had scar on his cheek as he stepped aside to reveal Sacki standing in the back. A small smile on his face before changing it to a look of false fear.

"That's her! She's the one that attacked my friends and myself! Her! Her and that boy!" He said while pointing at Juniper and Dym.

"That's not true!" Dym yelled. "They're assassins after me!"

"And why would assassins be after a child like you? You don't look all that important." One guard said with a chuckle, to which Dym was about to say why, but he stopped himself. If he did, he would instantly be hauled away.

"Either way, you're coming with us!" The gruffly voiced guard said as he reached out to grasp Dym. But stopped as a flash of light happened followed by Juniper's sword being placed to his throat.

"Touch that child," Juniper began, whose voice was once again laced with venom. "And you shall lose the arm it is you used to do so." All watched with shocked expressions at the woman's sudden action.

Nobody spoke for several moments until someone suddenly yelled out,  
"ATTACK!" Prompting the guards to suddenly lunge at the duo as a flurry of melee ensued.

Juniper grabbed ahold of Dym's tank top and launched them both back to the end of the alley. The guards gained their bearings and quickly began to charge the duo's position, while Juniper said,  
"Dym! Grab ahold!" The boy looked to see her holding out a hand but he did not take it. He stayed hesitant to do so until he heard her say, "You can trust me! I swear on my life!" Dym's eyes widen at the words before looking at the charging guards then back at Junipers hand and grabbed ahold. Suddenly the two were in the air, then on top of the buildings.

"Run!" Juniper yelled. Dym didn't think twice. He did exactly that!

As Dym sprinted along the rooftop, Juniper floated beside him. Within a few seconds, they neared the first gap of many.

"Think you can jump that?!" Juniper asked.

"Yeah, not a problem!" Dym responded as they got within five feet of it.

Juniper simply levitated across while Dym gave a leap and landed hard onto the tiled roof. He didn't stop to regain his breath. Only ran. As they made their way across the rooftops, they repeated this process over and over again. Dym cleared each gap with ease. This due to years of constantly doing this with him stealing nearly all his life. But, just as they got to the tenth gap, Dym's foot slipped as he went to jump and nearly plummeted to the ground. A large hand made from shadows shot from his own and gripped a second that came from top of the building; and pulled himself up to the top of the building.

Upon landing on top of the building, he looked to see Juniper watching with a slightly impressed expression. She gave a nod of approval as she levitated forward while Dym trailed not too far behind.

After clearing their fifteenth gap, Juniper looked back before she motioned for them to stop, much to Dym's relief. As they stood, Dym attempted to catch his breath before Juniper began to laugh while patting his back.

"That sure was fun, huh?!" Dym looked at her like she was mad, however he couldn't help but smile as much as she was at that moment as he began to laugh himself.

"Y-yeah. I-it was." He said in between laughs and breaths.

"Well, once you've caught your breath, let's find some place we can lay low for a bit." The word "we" caused Dym's smile to vanish.

"Maybe you can." He said as he stood back up to his full height. "But, I'm going back to my place." He began to walk forward before looking her in the eyes. "Alone." Juniper just looked at him like he was joking before giving a small frown.

"No," She began, as she grasped his shoulder, stopping him "You're coming with me. You still have to tell me your story."

"Why should I do that? Like I said back in the alley before we were attacked, just because we told each other our names, doesn't mean I'm going to pour my heart and soul out to you!" He said with annoyance lacing his voice as he ripped his shoulder from her grasp.

"Oh, you mean the same alley where I _saved your life!_ " Juniper shot back, causing Dym to stop dead. "Now then, how about you show a little gratitude, since I did just save your ass! Hmm?!" Dym didn't say a word back aside from a sigh. Before looking down at the roof and growled in rage as he formed a fist from his shadow and slammed it onto the tiles. This launched them into the air before sliding down onto the ground below.

"Fine! But we're going to my place! Like you said, we need to lay low for a bit. Oh, and when… _we_ arrive, _do. Not. Touch. A thing._ " He said in as much as a threatening tone as he could muster, but could tell that Juniper was barely phased by it as she stared at him blankly before suddenly smiling widely like a child and chirped,

"Okay! Lead the way, shadow head!" Dym's eye twitched from the name as he pushed past the woman while saying with anger,

"Don't call me that!"

"Okay, Shadow Boy!"

"Or that, damn it!" He yelled to which Juniper slapped him upside the head with her armoured hand while saying like a mother,

"Watch your tone, young man!"

"You cursed by saying 'ass'!" Dym yelled, only for another smack to the back of the head.

"I am an adult. It's different!" Juniper replied with a matter-of-fact like tone to which Dym simply growled in anger as he glared at her for a few seconds before focusing on the task at hand of heading back to his hideout…

After around half an hour of total silence, save for the child like humming of Juniper, the two made it to Dym's hideout, the town's clock tower. Dym entered the massive building by scaling the side with the help of his Shadow Magic by using extra limbs to support himself. Though Juniper did offer him her services of levitation, he simply declined the offer by mumbling a curse at her. Which only served him by getting another smack on the head by the armoured woman, much to his annoyance.

When he neared the top, he entered through the clock itself via a door he had made. When entering, you were greeted to a massive pit. How he got across was by extending a shadow appendage from his own body and of others that he formed on the rafters and pulled himself forward towards a platform multiple meters above. When landing on the platform you would then see that of a bed, which was not made, a table with scattered food, a few books, and jewels. A book shelf with the other books on magic and two drawers on the bottom which served for his clothing storage.

However, the best part of his living arrangements, was the view. On all sides you could see out through the clock faces, which were crystal clear, giving a beautiful view from the stone town to the grassy country side.

"Pretty nice place, I'll admit." Juniper declared with crossed arms while looking at the living arrangements, but was only replied to with a simple grunt as Dym reached into the thigh pockets of his shorts and pulled out a sack; which he threw onto the table. The contents of which spilled out revealing that of multiple jewels.

"Tell me," Juniper began. "How long have you lived the life of a thief?" Dym didn't say anything for a few seconds before shrugging and siting at the table.

"What's it matter to you? Yeah, I know you want to hear my 'life story' but I honestly couldn't care. And don't give me the whole, 'When I ask you a question, you answer' crap either. I know how to escape this place more ways than you ever will. Plus, I'm fast enough to easily pick up all these jewels and leave town before you'd even know what happened!" Dym stood up from the chair and got into a combat stance. "Now, you will answer _my_ question, which is this: Why do you even care about me? I'm some thief that tried to steal from you. I've heard of your guild. Nothing specific, but I've heard of it. What? You trying to recruit me into it? Well sorry to say, that isn't happening. I like my life at the moment, thank you very much. And plus, I'm sure our 'friendship' or whatever we have going on now won't last a month. So, there ya go! Now, please answer my questions, and leave." Juniper didn't say anything for a few moments before bursting into hysterical laughter all the while Dym stared with a raised eyebrow.

"Y-you are s-some p-piece of work, kid." Juniper said in between laughs as she, by now, was holding her sides while grasping for the bed to gain leverage. Dym stared at her and was only getting angered at the display.

"Stop laughing, damn it!"

"W-watch y-your mouth! A-and I-I can't!" Juniper said as this only increased with how hard she laughed, and strangely, the same sensation of wanting to laugh soon came over Dym. Just as it had before on the rooftops. Soon, he was laughing just as hard as her. To the point that he had to sit back down into chair, which he then fell out of. Juniper came over and helped him up, to which, the two held onto each other for leverage.

Finally, after what seemed like hours to them, they had both calmed down from their laughing high and were taking deep steady breaths to regain the air that had been lost from their lungs.

"O-okay, so, how about yo-you tell me your motive." Dym said as he had regained his breath. "You obviously have one. I want to know what it is." Juniper did not respond immediately as she was still regaining her breath. But after a few seconds did so,

"I just want to know your story. That's it. Okay?" Juniper looked him in the eyes, which caused him to search them for any amount of lying, but could not seem to find any.

Soon, he sighed in defeat as he leaned back against his bed as they both sat on the floor.  
"Alright. I'll tell you my 'story'." Juniper let out a little cheer as she gave the boy a tight hug and sat across from him, with a look of childlike curiosity filling her eyes. Dym just stared at her with confusion as a question of his own came to mind,

"First off though, how old are you? You act like a child, yet you're clearly older than I am." Juniper simply shrugged with a more mature like smile.

"33. You?" Dym gave a look of shock.

"You sure as hell don't act 33." Juniper gave a swift slap to the head while Juniper said sternly,

"Language!" Dym grasped the side of his head and growled.

"I take it back! You act like an old mother!" He said as he looked at the floor in pain but when he looked back up his features softened as he saw a glare had replaced Junipers previous expressions. Dym was about to ask what was wrong, but the glare only increased. This told him to move on. He obeyed the look and said simply,

"I'm 13, alright?" Juniper nodded, still glaring but soon her features lightened up as Dym began to speak.

"When I was first born, I was treated just like everyone else. A mother and father, but I didn't know him all the well as at the age of two, he died since he was a solider. I never really understood what happened until I was four, but I was able to accept it rather well. But… when I turned six… my mother was killed. I don't know by who or why. All I know is it was by a man. I remember hearing her scream in the middle of the night and walked into her room to find her on the floor dying. Before I could react, I remember he grabbed me from behind and hit me on the back of the head and blacked out. When I awoke, I was tied to a chair." Dym went silent for a moment. "He, uh… He made me watch as he…" Dym stopped and did not finish. He didn't have to. Juniper could easily tell what he wanted to say but couldn't finish. "Then… he moved on to me with the same knife he used on her." Dym fell silent again as he stared absently at the ground for a few seconds.

'So that'd explain all the scars…' Juniper grimly thought to herself as she trailed the scars along the boy's shoulders, arms and the bit of chest that was exposed with her eyes.

"I remember how he looked me in the eyes as he did it. He had this look… this condescending look." Dym clenched his fist to the point that his knuckles were white. "On the bright side, if you could even call it that, I could tell he had one distinguishing feature. His eyes were different colors. The left being blue and the right was brown which seemed to have a scar. I remember he knocked me out a second time and when I awoke, I had the same knife in my hand. Before I could gain my senses, he told me "good luck" in some smug tone before he hoped out a window while yelling out that someone was murdered. I was still in a daze and by the time I realized what was going on, people barged into the house and came into the room, all they could think was that it was me who killed my mother. I tried to explain that wasn't what happened, but they didn't believe me at all. It didn't matter to them that they had known me for my short life. So, I ran and escaped through the same window the real killer left through. I remember running for what seemed like forever before I passed out in some random alley." Juniper kept her blank expression on but was gripping her own fist tightly, which if she didn't have her gloves on, would be drawing blood.

'How could such a disgusting person exist?! How could one do such a thing to a poor boy?' Soon one thought came to her mind which caused a wicked smile to bloom upon her lips, the thought of making the same man pay. Soon she was snapped out of her thoughts as Dym continued to speak.

"The next day I knew that I couldn't convince the townspeople, so I hid on a train and got off at the first stop. When I first arrived I began to look for a place to live, but couldn't really find anything. So, I lived on the streets for a bit. For a while, I survived by digging through garbage for food and even clothes. Soon though, I learned that unless I wanted to survive, I would have to do something. So I turned to stealing. I started out by pickpocketing people, then, when I felt confident enough, I broke into houses and so on. I also learned how to scale the buildings so that way I could get away easily in case I got caught. My mother taught me the basics of reading and writing before…that night. So, I would steal books in order to learn new words and stuff like that." Dym stopped for a moment and watched as he made shadows swirl around his fingers.

"I lived in that town until I was six, but then one day I tried to steal from a real high class house. I got caught and was nearly killed, but got away. What I stole from them changed my life, though. I remember I stole some food and jewels, but also an old looking book. I remember how it was in a display case in the center of a large library. My first thought was that I'd fetch a good price from it, but the night I got back to my hideout, I began reading it. Turns out, it was a book for using magic. More specifically, Shadow Magic." This information caused Juniper to raise her eyebrows at the revelation as she looked at the shadows swirling around the boy's fingers.

'So that's where he learned his abilities from. So far he seems to have a pretty good grasp on them… even if it is for stealing.' She thought to herself.

"For a few days I began to try and figure out how it'd work. After a week, I was able to form shadows on my hands and forearms, and soon after, my entire body. As well as at a distance, such as on the rafters." Dym said as he pointed up to them. Juniper looked to see a small hand was formed and waved at her. She gave a small smile to the act. "After testing my powers by grabbing things at distance, I tested them on the streets. The first few attempts didn't go so well, but after a bit of time I was stealing with ease using my abilities." There was a tone of pride in Dym's voice, much to the disapproving glare from Juniper, but he ignored the look and continued.

"Soon though, wanted posters began to spring up around town. So, I hitched a ride on another train, by hiding on it of course, to another town. There, I made myself known to the criminal element, and soon enough they approached me. They were interested in my skills of being able to steal. Saying, I was like a shadow, funnily enough, what with my abilities. They had me go through a little initiation by infiltrating a high class house and steal a very valuable necklace. It was a pretty easy job. When I came back, they all cheered and we had a bit of a celebration." A small smile crept onto Dym's faces as he continued.

"I worked for them until I was ten. Though we worked together, anyone could have easily seen that I was just a means to an end to them. I should have figured it out sooner…" The smile soon vanished as one of sadness and anger replaced it. "One night, a job went bad. We all ran and at one point we got to a wall that'd need someone to help you up in order to climb it. They told me to go last since I could use my magic to climb the wall on my own and to throw the necklace to them. When I did though, the bastards threw a knife into my leg. They then made me stay where I was by aiming more knives at me. Then when the guards were close, they left me behind while the guards focused on me. I barely escaped from them and I was pretty beaten up. Even with my magic." A small smile formed on his features before he continued, "After a couple of days though, I snuck into their hideout and stole the necklace back. But soon after, my supposed "friends" were after me so that they could get said necklace back. I sold it off for as many jewels as I could get and left that town. In the next town, I began to steal like always. But I was soon contacted by the criminal element there, just like the last town. Only this time, they wanted my abilities for… different purposes." Juniper raised an eyebrow at what he could mean, but she already had an idea of what he meant.

"When I first arrived at the rendezvous, I was immediately attacked. I had learned to fight over the years in case an attempt to lose pursuers failed, such as the night I got left behind. Plus the first group I had been with had a fight club that I would regularly partake in, even if I was pretty young. I had a bit of a hard time fighting them off, but when it was all over, I was the only one standing. Turns out, the leader of the group had set up the fight as a way to… gauge my fighting abilities. He was pleased with them, even though, as I said before, it was a bit challenging. He asked me if I wanted to join and when I asked what he wanted me to steal to do so, he informed me that I wouldn't really be stealing all that much. Instead, I would be taking assassination contracts and that they paid a lot more than stealing. The thought of more money pretty much had me sold." Juniper sighed at this revelation as she closed her eyes and began to rub the bridge of her nose in annoyance, but Dym continued despite the actions Juniper exhibited.

"I took the job. It was harder than I thought it'd be, ya know? Killing someone. But I went through with it." Juniper frowned at Dym, who just gave a shrug in response. "I did this for two years or so. But after a bit I began to think about the man that killed my mother. I came to the conclusion that I'd be able to get my revenge with the abilities I have now. So, while it was there I began to question everyone if they had heard of the man that had killed her. Seems no one ever had, much to my disbelief, but everyone swore they never did. Then, just as I thought I was onto a lead, just like before, I was stabbed in the back. Turns out, the group from before put a bounty on my head and the one I was with now took it. Soon enough, people I had been with and called friends were out for my head. I left and have been traveling from town to town for a year now, all the while trying to find the man that killed my mother. I came to this town a few months ago and have been stealing, but I haven't taken any contracts…yet. But, I have been dodging blades. Some I've ran from, others I've killed." Dym was silent for a few moments before shrugging. "So, there you go. I saw you, tried to pick you, got caught, had the fight with the others, we ran from the guards and here we are. Happy?" Dym finished leaving Juniper to process the wealth of information she had just been given.

She sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity as she thought long and hard to herself.  
 _'This child. He has talent with his abilities. Yet, the things he's done. If he had just stolen I would easily ask him to come back with me. But… The killing. How many has he killed? Do I even want to know? And what of the man he is looking for? Could this possibly get in the way? Oh, Master, what would you do?'_

Soon though, Juniper began to stand, to which Dym watched till he saw her reach a hand down as she said,  
"Come with me. Back to my guild."

"Why though? I'm sure it'll end up like with everyone else I've ever been with." Dym said with a hint of distrust.

Juniper looked at him for a few seconds before sighing heavily and made him look her in the eyes.  
"The things you've done, any other person would simply leave you to fend for yourself, whether you're innocent or not of your mother's death. But, I'm not any other person. I believe some deserve second chances, you are one of them. You're very talented with the magic you wield, it should not be squandered on this type of life. Instead, you can use it to for greater purposes. And I don't mean for killing. If you come with me, I will train you to gain better control and to become stronger." Juniper stared into Dym's eyes, who by now had a look of intrigue and curiosity as he listened to her speak. "And, if we can, I will help you find your mother's killer." This caused a shift in his widened orbs that told her she already had him sold; but she still asked, "I'm giving you the second chance you need. So, what do you say? Will you come with me?" Dym looked at the hand just as he did back in the alley before he tightly grasped it and nodded.

"Alright, let's go." Dym said with a smile and nod of his head. Juniper smiled and nodded back.

"Very well, but on one condition."

"And that would be?"

She increased her grasp on his hand causing him to only do the same back while she spoke with a stern tone,  
"No. More. Killing. Only if it is necessary. Understood?" He stared into her eyes for a few seconds and decided to test his luck.

"Why?"

"Because," She increased her grip even more causing a small amount of pain to form in Dym's hand, but he ignored it easily. "If you don't, I won't train you. Got it?"

Dym just smirked as he then increased his own grips tightness in an attempt to match her own,  
"Alright, you're on!"

"Promise?"

"Promise." The two stared each other down before Juniper suddenly smiled like a child, so many times like before and said,

"Good. Now, pack up your stuff and let's get going." The two released one another's hands to which Dym lightly shook his hand from the pain. Juniper giggled at the sight making Dym shoot her a glare, but soon replaced it with a small smile as he packed his belongings…


	4. The Fight For a New Life

The Fight for a New Life

Night had nearly fallen and the packing of Dym's belongings, which ranged from clothing to books, was done. The two were ready to head out, but both decided to wait before leaving as to try not be seen by the guards or those that attempted on Dym's life.

The two currently sat at the table that had once been cluttered with jewels and books was now near spotless, save for some food that the two had decided to eat after getting hungry. Most of the time had been spent in silence as Dym read while Juniper cleaned and sharpened her weapons.

However, Dym broke the silence by asking,  
"Tell me, what's Fairy Tail like? Like I said before, I've heard of it occasionally, but nothing detail wise." Juniper looked to the boy with a smile as she placed her sword and cleaning rag on the table.

"It can seem a bit overwhelming at first, what with how lively the place can be. But after a bit of time there, you get used to it. Soon, everything seems fairly normal." She then muttered, "Even if it's far from that." Dym gave a confused look as she went back to a normal voice volume, "But that's what makes Fairy Tail, Fairy Tail." Dym watched her for a few moments before shrugging and going back to reading. Juniper smirked at the action and said, "I think you and Levy will get along very well." Dym looked up from his book.

"And why's that?"

"She very much enjoys reading, just as you seem to." Dym simply chuckled as he closed the book and placed it in his bag before retrieving another.

"I only read so I can gain more abilities and a better grasp on my magic. I don't read it because I want to, I read it because I _have_ to. This way I can become stronger." Juniper rolled her eyes at the boy's explanation as she responded.

"You're too serious, Dym. Have you ever been told that?"

"Yup, and I punched the last person that told me that." Dym responded in attempt to seem cold, but Juniper could easily see past the lie.

"Oh? Do you plan on punching me if I say it again?" She asked to call his bluff which Dym just looked at her. And for a few moments the two stayed locked before Dym rolled his own eyes just like Juniper had moments ago while she chuckled. She then stopped as she suddenly looked towards a random direction.

Dym looked at her and asked,  
"What is it?" But was answered with a raised hand to silence him. After a few seconds Juniper relaxed and looked back to her sword.

"Sorry. Thought I heard something." Dym just shrugged as he went back to reading when multiple figures broke through all the clock faces causing both Dym and Juniper to jump to their feet.

The figures then used that of grappling hooks to grab onto the platform's railing and pull themselves to it. Upon reaching it, all but one got to their knees. All the attackers wore the same colored robes of a pitch black and had that of a tattoo that was a snake wrapped around a knife on their hands. The amount of attackers came to that of 29.

"Well," Juniper said while grabbing her sword from the table. "Seems things just got much more interesting."

"Seems so." Dym said as he formed that of his Shadow Daggers. "So, who's who?" Dym asked, but was not given an answer. Instead one lone figure who wore a long cloak, pants, and shoes slowly made his way towards the two and removed his hood.

This revealed a man of his late thirty's who stood at an even six foot with long brown hair, piercing gray eyes and of pale complexion. He gave a smile that belonged on a snake towards the shadow wielder and said,  
"Hello, Dym. How have you been?" But the boy did not say a word back, instead giving a small look of fear as he took a slight step back. The man gave a small chuckle as he spoke, "What's the matter? Didn't think you'd see me again? You shouldn't be so surprised to be honest. You have caused us quite a bit of trouble. Much more than it should have been, anyway. But, I guess I shouldn't be surprised either. You were one of the best we ever had. Such a shame fate dealt you this type of hand." By now Dym's look of horror had grown as he gave a nervous swallow and increased his grip of the daggers, which Juniper had by now noticed and asked,

"Who are you?" The man looked to her and answered,

"How rude of me, I have not yet introduced myself. Apologies. My name is Meister Morderca. Nice to meet you, madam." The man now known as Meister gave a slight bow with his snake like smile still present. "Do tell, who are you, my lady?"

Juniper did not say a thing for a few seconds as she stared down the man before her with narrowed eyes. She had met many like him in her life, but this one. He seemed off.

"My name is Juniper Bish. And from what I can gather, you seem to be the leader of the assassin guild that Dym had been previously affiliated with. Am I correct?"

Meister gave a chuckle,  
"You are correct. If I may, how did you figure that out?"

"For one, how scared Dym is of you. And secondly, how the men around you have not said a word with the looks of obedient dogs on their faces along with staying on their knee for such a long period of time without moving of their own free will." This answer just caused Meister to laugh.

"What a lovely sense of observation you have, Miss Bish. Tell me, do you happen to be related to a guild at all? My men have told me you are, but I would like to hear from you myself."

"Yes, I am. Fairy Tail."

"Ah. Fairy Tail. A rambunctious guild from what I hear. Well, Miss Bish, that must mean you are the Archangel of Fairy Tail. Correct?" Juniper gave a nod. "Well then, let me give you a proposition, if I may?" Juniper was hesitant but nodded again. "The very boy you have beside you has killed many people in his life. So many, you could not comprehend it. He has been telling everyone that he was framed for his parent's death, when in reality, he has indeed killed them and has been gaining the sympathy of others so that he may slice they throat while they sleep at night. We have been hired to stop him by a family member of a previous victim, which was also a member of our guild. We may be assassins, but we also have morals. No killing one another without reason, which is exactly what he did. Now, I have heard you punish the guilty. So, obviously that must mean you should punish him, no? So why don't you just hand over the boy and allow us to save you the hassle of doing just that and allow us to do our job? Surely, you see the sense in that!" Juniper was silent for many seconds and as she was, Dym's look of fear only grew with each passing.

Juniper looked down at the boy while he gazed up at her. She stared into his eyes and searched them. Finally, she slowly began to chuckle before it turned into full blown laughter. Everyone watched the woman with some faces of shock and others of it being disturbed.

When her laughing calmed she spoke in her childish tone,  
"Oh, that was too good. You're quite the weaver of stories. Any other person would believe you, I'm sure." She looked towards Meister with eyes full of confidence, "But I'm not like any other person. I have met many individuals in my life. From the best to the worst. And you, are part of the worst. You have smile of snake and tongue just as sharp." She smiled widely before rising her sword towards the gray eyed man and spoke. "Now, allow me to give you a proposition: You allow Dym and I to leave peacefully and you forget all about us or," She placed her free hand on Dym's now slightly relieved shoulder but her tone became dark as her eyes. "I kill you and every single one of your lackeys here. None of them are the ones from earlier today, so that either means you killed them or sent them back to your guild. Most likely the former knowing your type. And, these men here have the same tattoo on their hands, most likely signifying they are some type of possible guard for you. So, obviously they must have done something to earn your trust to become your guards. Such as, oh, I don't know, kill someone closet to them." By now Meister's smile had vanished and was now a deep frown.

"And judging by your frown, I'm correct. Like I said, I've met a lot of people in my life. So I know all about your type of organizations. Now, usually I give people second chances, but those like you and your lackeys," Juniper's tone became even darker. "You do not deserve such mercy. Instead, you should all be killed by my very blade if you force my hand. So what will it be? Allow us to leave, or die?"

Meister simply sighed as his fist tightened to the point his knuckles became white before saying,  
"It seems you leave me no choice." He turned while giving a flick of his wrist with his pointer and middle finger together and began to leave while the others got up from their knees and drew a weapon of some kind. "Kill them both." He muttered as he was just about to reach the railing of the platform when a polearm suddenly slammed into the wooden railing in front of him. Everyone stared at the weapon and man who slowly looked down to his side to see his clothing had been torn. He reached his hands down and rubbed his fingers on his side. He then brought them up to reveal that of blood. Suddenly, he tightened his fist just as before followed by turning around while yelling,  
"Kill them! Kill them both!" His calm demeanor had vanished and replaced with it was that of a burning rage.

"Oh no. Juniper, what did you just do?" Dym asked as he went to take another step back, but was stopped as the now smirking woman placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him to her side.

"About to show you my true strength, while also testing yours. Show me how much you to be a part of Fairy Tail." Juniper grabbed her helmet and placed it upon her head followed by cracking her neck.

"But what about killing only when necessary!? Don't tell me you're going to do a total 180 on me like that!"

"As I just said, Dym," Juniper blocked an incoming attack from one of the attackers that had a large sword with her own followed by kneeing him in the groin and kicking him back. "They do not deserve the mercy of a second chance! I gave them the chance to let us leave and told them I would end their lives if they did not take it! They have thrown away their chance to continue living! And surely you know what they have done to get to such a position, no?!" She then parried another attacker and shoved her sword deep within his gut, before slicing the sword across allowing blood to pour from his body.

Dym stared at the display and though he was no stranger to death and blood, watching how vicious Juniper killed him with ease scared him for some reason. But he could not argue with her logic. She was right about what the men before him had to do, in order to get where they were now.

Dym went to say something but stopped as he had to block an oncoming attack from one of the other attackers that had twin daggers as well.  
"Tell me, Dym, how does it feel knowing you've killed members of your own family?!" The attacker asked as he struggled against Dym.

"You're the ones that tried to kill me first, you bastard!" Dym yelled as he struggled back.

"Yes, and you should accept your death honorably!"

Dym did not respond, instead he scraped his foot along the man's shin, causing him to yell in pain before Dym delivered a hard knee to his femoral, followed by giving a head butt then shoved his daggers into the man's throat.

Dym jumped back to gain his bearings to see Juniper blocked an attack with her sword before pushing the attacker back and cut him in half with lightning fast speed. She then whipped around and delivered a brutal kick to the man behind her followed up by spinning the sword in her hand and shoved the blade deep into his neck, severing the spinal cord and killing him instantly.

"Jeez," Dym muttered. "She doesn't mess around when it comes to killing either." Then he looked to see one of the attackers had pried Juniper's polearm free and was aiming to throw it at the woman.

He thought of what to do, and just as he had, the attacker threw it. Dym shot out his hand, which caused a shadow arm shoot from the platform and caught it mid-air just as it was around a meter from the intended target. Juniper looked to see the now caught polearm before the shadow appendage held it out to her in a polite fashion. She grasped it with a smile and sheathed her sword before twirling the newly equipped weapon in her hand and gave a bow to Dym who smirked at the action. Then multiple attackers converged on Juniper, most likely realizing by now she was a bigger threat than Dym, but the four were fought off with ease.

One lunged at her with a sword, but Juniper thrusted the blunt end just below his chest followed by slamming the sharp end onto his head, then swept it along the floor and sliced it upwards to the second attacker behind her. The blade sliced through his chest, knocking him back as he clutched the wound. Juniper then twirled the weapon above her head before suddenly moving towards a third in front of her and moved to where she was going to go for an attack on his right side but stopped mid swing and did a quick 360 while moving to his left and stabbed the blade into his ribs. She ripped it out and stabbed at him again, this time into his neck. Suddenly, the fourth and the one who had a slice in his chest, jumped onto the woman's back as a struggle ensued. But Juniper levitated into the air at rapid pace causing the one wounded in the chest to fall onto the platform. Then, she elbowed the fourth in the ribs, grabbed at his hood and attempted to throw him off by rolling in mid-air, but he held on tightly. So Juniper changed to where her back was facing the floor and let herself fall. Before the man could react, he had already met the wooden floor along with his death, literally being crushed by the sheer weight of the armour that Juniper wore.

The blonde haired mage levitated back to her feet and as she did, she shoved the bladed end of her polearm into the man's skull, making sure he was completely dead. When she then heard the groan of the man that had a chest wound, she slowly levitated towards him and looked into his eyes.

They begged for her to let him live.

Juniper slowly reached her hand out for him to take, which he did so shakily and began to get up slowly. But just as his chest met hers, in a flash her sword was requiped and shoved through his stomach.

The man froze, stunned before Juniper gave another hard thrust to increase the damage. Then, she let him slide off her sword and fall to the ground dead. As he laid there, a small dagger rolled out of his hand and onto the floor. Juniper snorted at such a cheap trick, trying to use mercy as a way to kill someone. then the sound of a yell caught her attention.

She looked to see a man clutching his side before having a dagger made of shadows being shoved through the back of his throat. Then the blades were moved away from each other, cutting the head clean off causing blood to spray from the wound. Juniper looked to see Dym behind the man covered in a good amount of the crimson liquid, but what worried her, was the look of pleasure in his eyes. Suddenly he ducked an incoming attack. She watched as he dodged a second then parried a third by causing the man's weapon to slide to the right and shove the second just under his sternum while he twirled the first in his hand and shoved it into his throat.

But before Juniper could watch anymore she heard that of footsteps approaching behind her. She turned to see at least three more cloaked figures with weapons drawn ready to attack. Juniper requiped her sword, allowing her to wield the polearm and got ready to fight. She knew that this fight had just begun, but could they really waste time on dispatching all of them? It was late into the night and the last train would most likely leave soon. Time was of the essence.

The three charged, the two on the sides giving quick vertical slashes while the one in the middle gave a stab forward. But Juniper blocked the vertical slashes with her polearm while levitating into the air to dodge the attack followed by kicking the one in the middle in the face. She then let go of the polearm and shot behind the one on the right and grasped his neck before snapping it with ease. Then just before the polearm touched the ground, she shot towards the other and caught it followed by shoving the bladed end into his stomach and ripped it out of his right side. This had the blade cut into the middle one's face, who had recovered from the kick, and blind him. He fell back as he screamed in pain, but was soon silenced as Juniper shoved the blade into his throat; ending him.

Juniper ripped the polearm free and looked to see that Dym was fighting one of the assassins with a second about to go for his back. Juniper tossed the weapon into the air, caught, aimed, and threw it. The polearm found its mark, landing in the second assassin's head and pinning him against the platform's railing. Dym glanced back at the now dead assassin, then at Juniper and gave a nod. He then dodged a vertical slashed, followed by a diagonal. He kicked the assassin's knee, causing a sickening crack. The assassin yelled in anguish before Dym's shadow daggers were shoved into his throat, silencing him. Dym then summoned a shadow arm to rip the polearm from the railing and tossed it to Juniper, who had been engaged with another assassin as the two locked swords.

"Juniper!" Dym yelled as he tossed the weapon towards the blonde, who glanced just in time to see the polearm coming to her aid. She smiled as she stomped on the assassin's foot and kneed him in the femoral. She then elbowed him back, turned just in time to grab the polearm and gave a hard thrust on the weapon's blunt end into the assassin's stomach. This made his eyes go blank before falling over unconscious.

"Dym!" Juniper yelled, catching the young boy's attention. "We have to go! Forget fighting the rest!" She commanded as she parried another assassin's attack and redirected him towards the railing and threw him off it.

"All right!" Dym called back as he ducked a horizontal strike before grabbing ahold of the assassin's free hand and quickly snapped however many fingers he had grasped. This made the assassin yell in pain, and while distracted, Dym jumped behind him and shoved one of his daggers into the back of the man's throat. Two more assassin's converged, but Dym pushed the now dead man's body at them while using a shadow arm to grab ahold his belongings from the table.

"Juniper! I got my stuff! Ready to go!" Dym yelled as he ran towards one of the platforms railings.

"Stop them, damn it!" Meister suddenly yelled as he drew a throwing knife and launched it towards Dym. But it was easily caught by Juniper who shot towards the young boy and stopped it midflight. Then she twirled the small blade in her hand and threw it back at Meister in flash; causing the blade to strike him in the face.

Meister let out a cry of pain as he recoiled, clutching himself in anguish. Some assassins rushed to their master's aid, while others charged towards the attacker. Juniper smirked at the display before blocking an attack from one assassin and kicked him in the stomach, launching him into a small group of others.

"Come on!" Dym shouted as he formed a shadow armed and shot it out towards one of the many rafters and swung towards another, repeating the process four times. As he did this, Juniper followed close behind and landed next to Dym, who opened up a random section of the clock tower's wall, into the moonlight. Juniper followed, but not before looking back one last time at Meister, who stared down the Fairy Tail mage with hate. Juniper gave a quick wave before launching herself into the moonlight with Dym, who was already halfway down the clock tower.

Juniper levitated next to Dym who glanced at her before placing his attention back towards the ground,  
"So, we leaving then?" He asked even though he already knew the answer.

"Yes. I feel it's the best course of action seeing as how I just angered him even more by possibly blinding him in one eye." Juniper answered with a hint of pride evident in her voice.

"I agree!" Dym said as he found himself touching the ground and immediately began making his way towards the train station with Juniper in tow.

As they made their way through the town's streets, they would occasionally duck into an alley that Dym claimed would help cut their time down, as well as avoid possible guards. After multiple minutes of running through the alleys and streets, the two saw the train station in sight, and no guards near it.

Juniper smiled at the current fortune they had and swiftly made her way to the ticket vendor and spoke in her child like tone,  
"I need two tickets for Magnolia, please!"

The ticket vendor, an old man with a beard reaching his chest, looked at Juniper and said,  
"I'm afraid the last train is about to leave. You'll have to come-" But just as he was about to finish speaking, a blade struck him in the head causing him to fall over dead.

Juniper turned to see the remaining 10 assassins, including Meister himself leading the small pack. A bandage had been wrapped around his head, covering his right eye. His teeth were bared and his visible eye burned with rage. Yet when he spoke, his voice was as cold and calm as the ocean.

"Kill them." The nine remaining assassin's charged towards the duo. But just as they were about to reach them, multiple guards intervened and got between the two groups.

"Halt!" One yelled as he drew his sword but the order fell on deaf ears as one assassin drew a blade and threw it at him. The guard just barely blocked the blade with his sword before charging back, ready to draw blood. But, he along with the other guards, were no match for the assassins as they made short work of them.

However, while the two groups clashed Juniper turned and Dym by his shirt and rushed towards the train.

"Juniper, we don't have tickets! What are we going to do?!"

The blonde looked towards him and said with annoyance,  
"That hasn't stopped you before, or have you forgotten that already?!"

"Good point!" Dym responded as he got to his own feet and sprinted towards the train that was slowly beginning to take off.

Meister saw this and suddenly yelled out with rage,  
"Stop them, damn it! Stop them or I'll kill you all myself!" The assassins, who had finished off the guards with ease, looked towards the two targets and began to chase after them. One drew another throwing knife and threw it towards Dym leg. But it was stopped from reaching its target by Juniper for a third time by using her own armoured leg.

The two were now just a few meters from the train. Dym formed a shadow arm and launched it towards the train's roof and hoisted himself onto it. Juniper simply increased her levitation speed and floated to the top of it before setting down. But the train was still slowly moving, and the assassins were just about the same distance from the train. Meister now included, and the fire in his eye burned only fiercer.

Dym could feel panic in his heart rise. Even though Juniper seemed extraordinarily strong, he didn't have full confidence in her taking on the leader of the guild. Dym knew Meister was much more brutal when he became like this. Almost as if he was a rabid animal.

Now the assassins were just two meters away from the train and Dym knew he had to do something. But what?

Suddenly Dym focused and yelled out,  
 **"Shadow** **Ō** **kami!"** Two dark purple rings formed before two large wolves rose from them.

The assassins stopped mid sprint and stared at the snarling creatures that stood at the height of an average man and had large sharp teeth. Their eyes were a dark red while the rest of their bodies were pitch black, save for their teeth that were white. But soon they became stained red, as before another word could be spoken they charged at the pursuers, biting and ripping into them like toys.

Both Dym and Juniper watched the display with widened eyes as the train quickly began to catch up speed. Soon, the screams from the assassins were heard no more and instead just the passing wind and the train itself moving.

Juniper looked to Dym before she said,  
"That was pretty quick thinking. Was that your first time trying that spell?" Dym only nodded as he stared at his hands for a brief second before he said,

"Yeah. I just… came up with the thought and tried it. Surprised it worked…so well…" Dym then went silent as his gaze returned down at his hands.

Juniper looked at Dym, whose eyes were wide once more. Either at the fact that he had just done that with ease for the first time, or the amount of brutality the creatures used when they tore into the assassins, or could possibly be both. But she could not completely tell which it was. She gave a small slap onto his back, snapping him out of his trance and made him look up at her. To which, she gave a reassuring smile and ruffled his hair.

"None the less, you saved our skins. So just focus on that." Dym stared at her for a few seconds before giving a small smile and nodded, much to Juniper's satisfaction.

"Now, we'll wait a bit before trying to find an unoccupied car. If the ticket vendor asks for one, they'll most likely accept a bribe. That way they can't say we didn't pay to get on, right?" Juniper asked while wrapping her arm around Dym who nodded with a widening smile.

After a few minutes the two did just that, and the two settled into the car for the night. Dym dug out a book and attempted to read, but after having to refocus his thoughts for the fifth time, he placed the book back into his bag and stared out the window. Meanwhile, Juniper requipped the weapons she had used during the fight and began to clean them.

After many minutes of silent, save for the train itself, Dym suddenly asked,  
"Juniper?" The mage continued to clean, but let out a small 'Hmm' in response. "What's the real reason you're letting come back to Fairy Tail with you?" Juniper stopped cleaning her weapon for a moment before continuing to do so again.

It wasn't until a minute of silence passed that the mage answered,  
"I see a potential in you. You use your magic with ease, and the fact that you were able to summon those wolves like that proves my point." Juniper went silent for a moment to study her sword before making it disappear and replaced it with the polearm. However, she did not begin to clean it immediately. Instead she looked to Dym and said,

"Look at me, Dym." The boy did so, eye filled with a hint of intrigue at what else she had to say, and her own eyes stared deeply into his. "In life, we continually search for a place we feel safe at. A place we can always come back to. A place that we know those we love and care for will always be there to love and care for us. A place to call home. A home to go to and be with those that will always be there for you. You once had a place like this, but it was ripped away from you in the blink of an eye." Juniper went silent for a moment, her eyes flickering away for a brief second before returning back to Dym's. "I have had this happen to me once. I have also known this feeling. It's an experience that no one should live with. _That_ is the reason I am bringing you to Fairy Tail with me. Okay?" Dym stared into Juniper's eyes, searching for any hint of lies, just as he had learned to do long ago. And saw none. Nothing but honesty. A look that seemed so foreign to him.

He nodded in response and learned back into his seat before returning his gaze back out to the passing landscape. A small smile now prevalent on his face, as he thought of the near future…


	5. The Meeting of a Guild

The Meeting of a Guild

The room is dark. The smell of blood hangs heavily in the air. A woman lays in front of a chair where a young boy, the age of six, is tied up. Small whimpers and sobs are heard from him while footsteps echo throughout the room. A man whose face is hidden with a hood, steps abound in the shadows, and just as the light reaches his body, it disappears into the darkness, as if his body was a shadow itself. Finally, he slowly steps into the light, a knife in hand. The boy's eyes widen in fear as he begins to struggle against the ropes, but he fails as he soon finds himself tired and ceases movement. A smile forms across the man's lips before licking them like a dog. Suddenly he reaches out and grasps the boy's face. Grasping it tightly while bringing the knife close to the boy's eyes.

The boy tries to speak, but fear grips his tongue and heart, causing only more whimpers to emit from his mouth. The man drags the blade along the boy's cheek, making him cry out in anguish. Slowly, the knife makes its way down his cheek before reaching his neck followed by giving a hard jerk and cut deep within his chest. The boy lets out a sharp cry of pain as he tries to fight off the sense of agony.

 _Crack!_

The boy's head whips back due to a back handed slap from the man. The momentum so great, that the boy falls back onto the floor.

The man grumbles something as he goes to pick the chair back upright, but stops at the last second. He looks to the woman then to the boy as he realizes that the two are now eye to eye. He then begins to make his way towards the woman, who lets out of moan of pain as he grasps ahold of her brunette hair and pulls her head up, allowing her to see the tied up boy. Her eyes flicker open and move around, trying to make sense of what is going on before realization dawns upon her. Her memory kicks in and she tries to struggle against the man, but is only rewarded with a punch to the back of her head. A cry of pain emitting from her mouth. The boy watches in horror, he tries to speak but only moans come out.

"Look at him!" The man orders the woman. But she does not obey, instead keeping her eyes to the crimson stained floor. "I said," He grasps ahold of her chin and forces her to look the boy in the eyes. "Look at him." Both stare in each other's eyes for many seconds in silence as the man strokes the woman's hair. Some sick reward of her obeying his order. "That's it. Look into his eyes." He lets go of her chin and slowly reach behind him and grasps the blade. "Look into his eyes and die." Both the boy's and woman's eyes widen as both attempt to struggle against their confines. But freedom is not achieved. Instead, a cry.

"Dym!" The boy, Dym, looks. "Dym, look away!" The man's eyes widen in rage as he swiftly places the blade against the woman's throat, but not fast enough to silence her final words as she stares deep within her son's eyes and speaks with conviction. "And know, I love you, Dym!" Then the blade is jerked across her neck, silencing the mother, but not Dym, who cries out in rage!

Juniper jumped from her slumber and looked towards Dym as he thrashed about while he screamed loudly. Juniper grasped his shoulders and have a firm shake.

"Dym!" She said. "Dym, wake up!" But he did not. Instead he continued to yell as loud as he could as he fought against the mages grip.

 _Crack!_

Juniper delivered a smack to the boy's face, waking him from his nightmare. His eyes darted in every direction as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.

"Dym!" Juniper said while giving him a less forceful shake. "Are you all right?!" The boy continued to look around, eyes wide before Juniper called again. "Dym!" His eyes locked with hers. "Are you all right?!" He stared into her purple orbs with his own blue before he slowly nodded.

Juniper let out a small sigh.  
"Good." She gently patted his shoulder before slowly letting go and leaned back into her sit. Neither spoke for multiple minutes, allowing Dym to calm completely before Juniper asked, "What was that? You were acting as if you were being attacked." But did not receive an immediate answer. Instead he only stared absently at the floor. Juniper felt a pang of anger ignite as she called out in a more stern tone,

"Dym!" The boy jumped and looked into her eyes again. "What was that? Answer me!" But after another second passed, she immediately knew what was wrong. She once had the same eyes that Dym currently possessed. A look of pure fear and horror. A look that screamed that he saw something that will never allow him to be the same, and she already knew what that was.

Guilt replaced the anger as she let out another sigh before reaching across slowly and placed her hand one Dym's shoulder. He watched her hand the entire way before looking back to her eyes again as she spoke in a low caring tone,  
"Dym, it's all right. You're here now. _I'm_ here, okay?" Dym stared deeply into her eyes before giving a small nod and slowly leaned back into his own seat. Juniper gave a small smile and gently ruffled the boy's hair as his gaze turned towards the window and at the passing landscape.

The door opened to reveal a train attendant standing. He had the usual attire of a train employee and was a tanned complexion with a jet black goatee and glasses.

"Is everything all right, here?" He asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yes." Juniper said. "Sorry about the yelling. My so-… I mean, my friend had a nightmare." The man's eyes flickered from Juniper to Dym, then back to Juniper before he gave a firm nod before turning as he closed the booth's door. Leaving the two alone in silence once again. Juniper sighed while rubbing the bridge of her nose before looking towards Dym, who continued to stare out the window.

"Dym," She said, catching his attention as his eyes flicked towards her. "Do you want to talk about it?" Dym only responded by staring Juniper down coldly before he finally said,

"No." She didn't try to push any further. She knew it wouldn't help since she had been there before. She knew though that he would open up as time went on.

"Where's your armour?" Dym suddenly asked, his eyes now softer and his demeanor slightly more relaxed.

Juniper now wore a silk blouse that was dyed black, while for her legs were thin cloth bottoms of a dark purple. Finally, her feet were casual tan sandals. This revealed a near, but not fully, petite frame for the blonde mage, much to Dym's surprise considering how heavy the armour she wore looked.

"Well, since we're not in any immediate danger that I know of, I requipped my armour. No point in staying in it if I'm not in combat." Juniper answered with a smile.

Dym gave a nod before he said,  
"You're pretty thin, considering the armour you wear." Juniper shrugged in response.

"Well, if you noticed, I usually levitate wherever I go while I wear it. So that pretty much explains why." Dym thought back and he did remember how she floated the entire time they were in the previous town.

The train whistle suddenly sounded, this caused both to look and see that they were now in the city. Dym stared out the window, eyes wide as he began to take in every detail he could. Juniper couldn't help but smile at the display of curiosity before she looked out the window herself.

"So, what is the name of this city?" Dym asked as he continually stared out the window.

"Magnolia Town." Juniper answered as a strange sense of nostalgia washed over her. How she was in Dym's place, eyes wide, hungry to see all that the city could offer.

By the now, the train had entered the station and came to a slow stop. Juniper stood up, which revealed that her new height without her armour was 5'11", and opened the door as Dym looked to her.

"Well, let's go." She said as she waved her hand for him to follow, which Dym did so with a hint of excitement in his eyes.

The two stepped off the train into a crowd of people before making their way to the streets. It was here that even more people walked about.

"Now then," Juniper said as she placed her hand on Dym's shoulder. "Let's go introduce you to everyone!" Dym looked to her and gave a small smile with a nod, before they set out towards that of Fairy Tail.

As they walked along the streets, Dym's eyes continually flicked from building to building. Taking in the structures and overall design, something he taught himself to do long ago. But now, it was of genuine curiosity and of admiration of the craftsmanship. Something that you learned to do when climbing buildings most of your life, is to appreciate the fine structures of buildings and the care that is needed for them. Granted, it's not like Dym would go around and take care of the buildings he used to steal and assassinate people from. But it was something he, none the less, learned throughout his life.

"Now," Juniper said, catching his attention. "With Fairy Tail, you have to understand it can be rather… energetic, I guess the word is. From what I can gather, you're not one of that nature. What with the stealing and assassination." She said, giving a small glare to the boy, who mirrored it with a small grin. "But, as time goes on, you'll learn to accept it, and actually possibly enjoy and partake in it."

The two rounded a corner, with the building in sight. With that, Dym immediately begun looking the building over. Something that stuck out the most to him however, were the flags that bore that of what looked like a fairy at the very top. As well as the large sign that read "Fairy Tail" with two fairies on either side. He could tell that the exterior was well taken care of, most likely meaning the inside was as well. And deep in the back of his mind, he was already thinking of what it'd be like to scale the building itself and lay at the top of it.

The two were know just a few meters from the door as Dym said,  
"Oh? Care giving me an example?" Just as Juniper was about to speak, the door blasted open as two figures came shooting through it.

One was a young boy with spiky pink hair wearing a scale patterned scarf, red shirt with tan piece of cloth tied around his waist. Light orange shorts with brown shoes.

The second was another young boy with spiky black hair, close to Dym's but only a hint shorter. On his right pectoral was the same symbol on the building's flag. He only wore a pair of black pants with a light brown belt and black shoes.

"Well, that's a pretty good example." Juniper said as she gazed at Dym's bewildered expression before returning to the fight before the duo.

"Gray! I'm taking you down this time!" The pink haired boy yelled to the other, now known as Gray.

"We'll see about that, Flame Breath!" Gray yelled to the other whose eyes widened in rage.

"My name is Natsu, damn it!" The boy, Natsu said as he reeled his fist back and threw a punch to Gray, who dodged it with a duck and slammed his into Natsu's stomach.

"Whatever you say, Flame Breath!" Natsu jerked back in pain before delivering a hard kick to Gray's groin, making him recoil in pain.

"Ha! How'd that feel, Ice Princess?!" Dym couldn't help but chuckle at the display, and though Juniper tried to not to, she also chuckled.

"Natsu, you're dead!" Gray said as he quickly recovered and launched at Natsu.

"Bring it on!" Natsu yelled as he launched at Gray in response and just as they were about to clash, a red headed girl suddenly appeared in between them, grasped their heads and slammed them together.

Both cried out in pain before falling to the ground, steam rising from the freshly made lumps that formed upon their heads.  
"Both of you, knock it off!" The girl said with authority. "Can't you see we have returning members?" She then looked towards Juniper, who gave a small wave to the girl, and Dym, who simply did the same, but with a slightly scared expression.

"Are all the girls from this guild terrifying in their own way?" Dym muttered to himself followed by Juniper placing her hand on Dym's shoulder and said in her child like tone,

"Maybe." She leaned in as her toned darkened. "Is there a problem with that?" Dym immediately began shaking his head violently with widened eyes. Her tone returned to its previous and gave a large smile. "Good! Now, let's go help those two." As she walked towards Natsu and Gray, who both laid motionless, save for the occasional twitch.

"How are you, Erza?" Juniper asked.

"I am well, Juniper. And you?"

"About the same. Nice to see a little entertainment as soon as I arrive." Juniper answered as she referred to Natsu and Gray, still on the ground. "Speaking of which, Dym, can you help pick them off the ground?" The black haired boy nodded as he walked over to the two in question and began to gently shake them, only to receive groans in response.

Erza watched the boy, a hint of confusion on her features before Juniper said,  
"He's here to join our guild." Erza gave a smile to the boy.

"Hello, Dym. It's nice to meet you." But did not receive a greeting back as Dym thought of a way to wake them before looking at the two female mages and asked,

"It all right with you two if I just carry them inside?" Both Juniper and Erza nodded in response much to Dym's satisfaction as he gave a smile in return.

Dym stood up before two dark circles formed beneath the two boys. This was followed by two hands made of shadows slowly rose from the circles, picked them up and hanged them in the air. Erza watched with a hint of amazement, while Juniper gave an approving smile.

"Well, I guess we can head inside now." Juniper said as she gave a pat to Dym's shoulder who followed the two guild members inside, all the while formed new hands to move them inside.

With them entering the guild, the five, with the three being awake, were greeted to laughing and merriment. Mugs were hit together before being drank. Then a young girl with brown hair in an orange dress yelled out,

"Juniper is back!" All eyes immediately shot towards the blonde haired mage before a sudden cheer was let out and rushed towards her.

As this happened, Dym watched with a raised eyebrow before looking to Erza, who stood arms crossed smiling and asked,  
"This happen all the time she returns?" Erza nodded.

"She's a bit of a motherly figure here." She then glanced to Gray and Natsu, who were still being held by Dym's shadows. "You can just drop them, if you wish." Dym looked at the unconscious pair and lowered them just half a meter above the floor before letting them fall with a thump.

"And who is this?" Dym looked for the source before the same voice called, "Down here!" The boy looked to see a short man with a white mustache smiling up at him. Dym jumped back from the seemingly sudden appearance of him before regaining his composure.

"This is Dym, Master Makarov." Erza answered. "Juniper says he is here to join our guild." Makarov nodded to the information given to.

"Mhm. I see. Well, Dym. You're welcome to join Fairy Tail. My name, as Erza said, is Makarov. A pleasure to meet you." Makarov held his hand out towards Dym, but it was not taken right away. Instead Dym, just like with Juniper's hand, stared at it cautiously. Makarov noticed this and eyed the boy with a hint of suspicion.

"You shake it!" Juniper suddenly said, catching Dym's attention to see now she, as well as everyone else, was watching the boy.

A small hint of panic begun to take over Dym from the amount of eyes on him. But a quick look in Juniper's eyes strangely calmed his panic in an instant. Dym took a slight breath and nodded as grasped ahold of Makarov's hand and gave a firm shake.

Makarov gave a wide smile to the boy as he said,  
"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Dym." Dym felt something tug at his heart, but it passed before he could think or notice it further as an arm wrapped around him only to see Juniper smiling widely.

"Now you're a member, wanna know what that means?" The blonde asked, face pressed against Dym's.

"Uh, what?" He asked, partly worried what the answer would be.

"To celebrate!" Juniper yelled as she shot her hand into the air, revealing a large mug in her possession; before she pitched it back and downed the entire mug's contents in one go as everyone cheered.

By now, Natsu and Gray had awoken from unconsciousness and begun to look around in confusion. However, before they could ask any questions, Erza leaned in between the two, murder prevalent in her eyes, and said with venom,

"I highly suggest you two don't fight for the rest of the day." Both boys jumped at the sudden words and stared in fear. "Wouldn't want to ruin the celebration of our new member," Erza placed her hands on both the boy's shoulders and squeezed tightly. "Now would you?" Both shook their heads rapidly, before Natsu asked,

"E-erza, what new guild member?" The red headed girl pointed towards Dym who now sat with Makarov, Juniper, and other random guild members.

"Now play nice." She hissed before patting their shoulders and walked over towards the table.

"She's extra scary today." Gray said as Natsu nodded in agreement.

"Erza," Juniper said to the girl, catching her attention. "Could you show Dym around the guild? I must speak with Master Makarov alone." Erza gave a nod, but Dym glanced at her, a hint of unsureness visible in his eyes. Juniper only nodded in response as she gave him a smile. This made the boy mirror her back and hopped off his chair and begun to follow Erza.

However, when the two reached just two meters away, Juniper let out a sigh before saying,  
"Finally." This caused a chuckle from Makarov as she continued. "Sorry, Master. I just needed a small break from-" But before the boy could hear anything else, the sound of the guild hall overpowered her voice.

The words that Juniper said made the familiar feeling of distrust resurface, followed with a small frown. A hand gently grasp Dym's shoulder, he looked to see Erza, who smiled at him, and gave a small nod. The feeling vanished, and with it a new one. That of peace. Something that felt rather foreign to the boy. But that did not stop him from occasionally eyeing the pair that sat alone.

The two walked off while Juniper watched, a small smile visible.

"So, tell me, Juniper, what brought this on?" The woman in question looked towards the white haired man as he sat, legs crossed, staff rested against him.

"I decided to do what you would do. I gave him a second chance." Makarov raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And tell me, what second chance is this?"

"Would you prefer the short or long version?" Makarov opened his eyes and stared at Juniper for a few moments followed by stroking his mustache, contemplating his answer.

"Hm I could have the boy tell me, but judging from his behavior earlier, that may be awhile. The short version, if you kindly." Juniper shrugged as she leaned back while she knocked back the mug in hand, and took a large gulp.

"That boy has potential. He has a good grasp on his magic, shadow magic specifically. However, he has done many things in his short 13 years of life. He has lived a majority of it as a thief." Makarov shrugged slightly.

"So he has stolen, that does not sound as bad as you are making it out to be."

" _And_ , he has lived as an assassin." Makarov's eyes widen just a hint momentarily before they darted towards Dym, who now sat at a table with Erza, Natsu, Gray, and Cana before they returned back to Juniper and gave a sigh.

"I see. Do you know how many he has killed?"

"No. And I do not wish to know. All that does matter, the way I see it, and I know you do as well, is what he wishes to do for the future." Makarov nodded in approval.

"Agreed. However, how is it he got into such a life?"

"His father was killed at the age of two. He was a soldier. Then, at the age of six, he watched his mother murdered in front of him, before the bastard turned the blade on Dym." Makarov held a large frown and gripped his staff tightly for a brief moment. "He then framed Dym, causing the town's people to believe Dym did it. He escaped and resorted to stealing to survive. He found a book which he learned his magic from. Later, he then joined a thieves' guild before they betrayed him. Then he joined an assassin's guild, who promptly betrayed him due to the previous guild wanting him dead."

"Mhm. Quite a life for such a young boy. And how is it he met you?" Juniper smirked at the question before she took another gulp of her drink.

"He tried to steal from me. I caught him, followed by questioning why he was wasting such potential on stealing. Then I noticed something in his eyes." Makarov looked at Juniper and gave a small smile.

"I see." The man said before Juniper continued.

"Yes, well, through a series of events that involved the assassins, their leader, and the authorities, along with having to board a train illegally, we escaped the town and arrived here. I convinced him to join by telling him I'll train him, and, if it comes down to it, help him find the man that murdered his mother." Juniper said before she finished the contents of mug in hand while Makarov gave a nod.

"Well, as you just saw, he is welcome here and is a member now. However, I recommend that you keep your word to him." Juniper raised her eyebrow.

"And what makes you think I won't?" Makarov's eyes hardened.

"You know what makes me think you may possibly back out. The same reason you wished him away with Erza. You and I both know it was not because you wanted him to be shown around the guild." Juniper looked away, eyes averted to the inside of her mug. As if to see if there was any of its liquid contents left. "From how you speak, he lived most of his life with his mother, and was with her in her final moments. You don't think that something may possibly develop? Something that you may not be able to handle in the future?" Juniper's gaze shot back into Makarov's. A hint of anger now prevalent.

"You think I'm not strong enough?" Makarov did not respond immediately. Carefully, he thought of his answer.

"No. _I know_ you're strong enough. The real question is, do _you_ think you are strong enough to handle it, if those feelings do develop? I could see how much you were holding back while around Cana and the others. I'm surprised you did so well with Erza when she came over." Makarov paused for a moment as he took a drink of his own mug. " _But_ you'll be around him all the time if you plan on training him. Now, I shall admit, you seem to be fine as of now since he is older compared to the others. All I wish, is to not see him betrayed again and left alone. It's already happened to him three times now. First, his mother, then the thieves, and finally the assassins. Imagine what could occur if _you_ did the same." Juniper's grasp on her mug tightened, knuckles turned white. She shot a glare to the older man, and said with a hint of venom.

"That won't happen. Now stop speaking such nonsense. I'm nothing like those pieces of filth." Makarov raised an eyebrow, and he debated if he should push, and decided to do so.

"Oh, keep in mind of how things were when you and I met." The blonde's eyes widened for a brief second before they were averted. She then begun to chuckle before she spoke, childlike tone returned and all traces of anger gone.

"Oh, Master. Dym's under my supervision, and everything will go just fine." Juniper begun to stand, "Now, I'm off to get another drink. Would you like another as well?" She asked, eyes wide and smile full. Makarov stared for a brief moment before he nodded and returned back to his original position of sitting, eyes closed and staff rested against him.

Dym watched Juniper rose as he sat with Erza, Cana, Natsu, and Gray. Eyes trailed the blonde, mind trying to figure out what it was they had just got done talking about. His feeling of distrust only grew stronger with every passing second. Why did she seem to become so angry at Makarov? What could cause her to glare him like that then suddenly revert back to her childlike behavior? He could not think of any, instead the questions remained just that, questions.

Dym stretched, multiple joints popped followed with a sigh of relief. He leaned back against the table and took a gulp of his drink. His relaxed demeanor was just that, relaxed. But deep down he remained on edge. He knew that he could not be by Juniper's side at all times. But what she said right when she thought he was out of ear shot. It bothered him.

Dym brought his hand to his chin, and again, tried to think of the answers to his questions.

"Dym, you looked troubled." A voice sounded off, making the raven haired boy look and see Cana giving him a smile.

"It's nothing, Cana. I'm just… reviewing all that's happened the past 24 hours."

"Reflecting on recent events is wise to do." Erza said. "It can help you gain clarity of things." Dym hummed in response before he hopped of his chair and headed for the door, bag in hand.

"Oi! Where're you going?" Natsu asked, which Dym simply waved his hand back to the four as he said,

"Going to explore the city. It's going to be my new home, right? Might as well see the rest of it."

"But you just got here!" Gray said.

"I know!" Dym called back. "Even more of a reason to explore." He finished just as the doors closed behind him. Natsu looked to Gray, who shrugged while across the guild hall, Juniper sat and stared at the closed doors. What stuck out the most to the woman, though, was the same look Dym had as he left through the doors. The same he had when she first met him just a day earlier.

A small frown formed on the woman's features.  
 _'He wouldn't try anything here… would he?'_ Juniper thought to herself as her mind searched for the answer.

"Relax," Makarov said. "He wouldn't do anything reckless. He's probably just going to clear his head, and he might as well look around, just as he said." Juniper looked at the white haired man before she leaned back in her chair and took a sip of her mug as she eyed the door; even after they had closed for many seconds.

Dym walked through the streets, hands in pockets as he looked around, eyes scanning the people around him. Some walked with a pace while others, mostly those with children, in a more relaxed fashion. The sun, now somewhat lower, shined in the sky with a tint of orange while birds chirped. Dym could feel the energy around him, that of happiness and peace. And though he wished he shared the same, his had been replaced with the usual on-edge. And this saddened him slightly. He enjoyed the foreign feeling that he had not felt in many years. But with how Juniper acted, he just couldn't shake the same feeling he would get before he was about to be stabbed in the back, just like with the previous two guilds. Yet, something kept him from leaving. A voice in the back of his mind that told him to just see what happens. And for some reason, Dym decided to listen to it.

By now the shadow wielder was in a large crowd, and his eyes scanned the signs of buildings on both his sides, but one stuck out the most. Book Land. A small hint of excitement returned and with it, Dym turned on his heels and made his way to the large store.

He opened the doors, revealing a wooden counter to the boy's right, which was manned by a clerk who waved to him. Dym gave a slight wave in response before moving his eyes to the main reason he was here. Multiple shelves filled to the brim with books were seen across the entire store's interior. Dym raised an eyebrow, slightly impressed with the amount of inventory the store had and immediately began to browse its selection. Within minutes he found multiple books on that of magic and carried four books to the counter.

"This everything?" The clerk asked, a slim man with black hair and of pale complexion. Dym nodded in response as he dug into his bag, finding the pouch he had searched for and laid the necessary amount of jewels onto the counter.

Dym then swiftly placed the books in his pack and left without saying a word and was immediately back out on the streets. He looked around, searching for a place to find solitude before he made his way down an alley. He then hopped onto a windowsill, followed by jumping up to another before finding himself on the same bookstore's roof he had just come out from. He searched, looking for a land mark that would fit his needs. Then, he eyed a massive building. That of a cathedral of grand stature. A small smile formed on the boy's lips as he swiftly set of towards it, hopping from building to building. Eager to climb the goal he had set in his sights.

After making his way towards the cathedral, and getting back onto the ground, Dym stood in front of the massive building, studying its structure. It was soundly built, and from what Dym could judge, was very old. He placed his hand upon one of the cylindrical towers and rubbed his hand against it, feeling the smooth texture. Dym stepped back and looked around before circling the building, only to see barely any people around the west side of it.

The shadow wielder returned back to that side and, after looking around one last time, hopped up onto a nearby ledge. He swiftly formed two arms made from shadows, one from his own, and another just a few meters above him. Swiftly, he scaled the building with ease. And before anyone saw him, he was on the cathedral's roof.

Dym stared out across the city's landscape, taking in all he could, burning it deep into his memory. He looked and saw the large central path that was aligned with shops, easily spotting the book store he had been at minutes ago, before he saw Fairy Tail at the very end. He then turned, seeing the train station that he had arrived at.

With the city's landscape now soaked into his memory, a sense of peace fell upon the boy, replacing the on-edge he had previously. He let out a sigh before he sat down as he retrieved one of the books he had just bought and flipped to the first chapter. A large smile now across his features as he begun to read…


	6. The Start of a New Life

The Start of a New Life

Dym jumped across the small gap that was the two buildings. He rolled before he stood back up and continued to run. The cool night air rushed against him as he slid down a building's roof and hopped to another. He took a small step and looked around, taking in the massive amount of lights that flooded across his field of view.

 _'Magnolia Town certainly is brighter at night compared to the other cities I've been too.'_ Dym thought to himself. His eyes turned to the guild hall of Fairy Tail, only to see it being the most lit building compared to the rest of the city. _'Both beautiful in structure, and in lighting.'  
_ "Well," He said aloud. "Guess I better head back. Maybe less people will be there." Dym then jumped onto a slope, and slid down it before he leaped to the building across from it and climbed to the top.

After ten minutes of making his way towards the guild, he found himself in front of its massive doors. He stood in front of them, but could not bring him to open it. He felt…paralyzed. As if some force kept him from reaching his hand out to them and push.

"Why can't I do it?" Dym asked himself. "What am I so afraid of?" Dym looked up and saw the windows at the top of the building, and though there were some on both of his sides, he felt the most comfortable with a bird's eye view. "Guess old habits die hard." He sighed as he leapt to the building's roof and pulled himself up before he made his way towards the windows.

He peered inside, only to see the guild was as full as it was when he had left. A feeling of discomfort fell upon as he hanged his head in defeat. Suddenly he felt a hand land on his shoulder. Dym jumped from the sudden contact and whipped around, ready to fight, only to see no one.

"Down here, Dym." The boy looked to see Makarov, just as he had earlier in the day. This time, Dym did not jump, instead he gave a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, Makarov." Dym said, rubbing the back of his head.

"That's Master, to you." Makarov said in a joking tone before he sat down on the roof and motioned Dym to do the same. Which the raven haired boy followed suit. "Something is troubling you." Makarov said. "I could tell when Juniper sent you away with Erza."

"No, Mak-I mean, Master Makarov. Nothing is troubling me. It's just a bit jarring to have all this happen so fast." Dym said with a smile, but Makarov only stared in response.

"Dym, if you're going to be part of this guild, you have to learn to take a chance to trust others." Dym simply snorted at the word "trust".

"Yeah, that's helped me a lot in the past." Suddenly Dym was struck by Makarov's staff causing him to yelp in pain. "What was that for?!" He cried.

"That's for thinking such a thing."

"What thing!?" Makarov now stared Dym down with fierce eyes, causing the boy to lose some of his confidence, like Natsu and Gray with Erza.

"You believe we are like the thieves and assassins, don't you?" Dym only stared, eyes wide.

"How do you-… Juniper told you, huh?" Makarov nodded.

"However, she also told me how you trusted her. Yet, you don't seem to have the same feelings anymore. Why is that?" Dym did not respond right away. Instead, he stared out towards Magnolia Town, watching the lights flicker every so often. "Dym." Makarov said, making him look at the man. "You have my word, that you can trust me, as well as the rest of us. Including Juniper. Now, please, tell me why it is you feel this way." Dym watched the white haired man, keeping silent for many moments before he sighed.

"It's as you said, part of me believes that you'll all turn out like the others. And, when I left with Erza, I heard Juniper said she needed a break from something. This only increases my thoughts of believing you'll all turn out like the others. But…" Dym ceased speaking.

"But…" Makarov said, coaxing the boy to continue.

"But, there's this voice in the back of my mind. It keeps telling me to stay. To not run like I normally would, and, for some reason, I keep listening to it. And I don't know why I am." Makarov smiled at Dym as he patted the boy's back.

"That, Dym, is the side of you that wishes to have a family once again. From what I've been told, you've lived most of your life in solitude, never trusting anyone completely. Am I correct?" Dym nodded as he looked towards Makarov. "And though you've done just that for most of your life, does not mean you can continue to do so. We humans, we need to have other human contact, or else we fall into a darkness that we may never be able to rise out of." Makarov peered behind him, he searched for something until he found it and pointed to it. Dym looked to see Juniper, sat with other guild members, drinking and laughing.

"Maybe I shouldn't be telling you this, but when I first met Juniper, she was a lot like you were. She didn't trust anyone, and her life had been filled with pain and darkness. When I met her, I offered her a chance." Dym looked to Makarov, curiosity in the boy's eyes. "If she defeated me in a fight, she can continue to live her life as she sees fit. But, if I defeated her, she must have to come here, to Fairy Tail. I think it's safe to say what the outcome of the battle was." Makarov chuckled as he looked at the woman. "But, as time went on, she changed. She went from a cold and bitter person to, well, that." He finished as he nodded to her.

Dym stared at Juniper who still laughed and drank, smile wide and shinning. Then, the same feeling of happiness resurfaced. As if Juniper's smile itself was contagious.  
"My point is, Dym. If she could change from what you are now to that, don't you think you could do just the same?" Dym looked at Makarov and stared into the man's eyes. Searching for any hint of dishonestly in his eyes. But he found none. Instead, the same look Juniper had when she held out her hand to him both in the alley and in the clock tower just a day earlier.

Then, a question formed in Dym's mind.  
"But, what caused her to become so cold like you say? What happened to her? And…earlier, when I left with Erza, what did she mean by "needing a break"? A break from what?" Makarov eyed the boy, he wrestled in his mind on how to answer. Finally, he simply shrugged as he said with a smile,

"You'll have to ask her that yourself. I cannot tell you everything, Dym." Dym only nodded in response before he returned his gaze back to Juniper. "Well, I say we go inside. It's getting a bit cold for me." Makarov said as he hopped onto his feet and took a few steps before he looked back. "So, are you coming? Or have I wasted my breath in telling you all that?" Dym looked at the man, and, for a reason he could not fathom, smirked with a nod.

Makarov smiled back as hopped off of the roof and landed in front of the doors. Dym did the same only a few seconds later and stared at the doors, waiting for Makarov to open them. But he only stood patiently, eyes closed.

Dym was about to speak when Makarov stopped him short,  
"If you wish to take your first steps into leaving your old self behind, you must do it _yourself_." Dym stared at him, and he thought of what to do.

 _'Do I really want to do this? Is there really a part of me that can trust people, like before?'_ Dym looked at Makarov a second time, then to the doors. He placed his hand upon them, and with a small push, opened them up, allowing light to flood the entryway. All looked towards the doors to see Dym and Makarov before waving at the pair. Dym did the same back for a brief moment before he looked to Makarov, who made his way towards a random table.

But not before he said,  
"You made the right choice, Dym." He peered back to the boy. "Now, make another, and learn that you are no longer alone anymore, and that you can indeed trust everyone here." He then hopped onto the table and returned to his previous position: Legs crossed, eyes closed, and staff rested against him.

Dym stared at the man for a few moments before he heard Natsu call out,  
"Dym!" The shadow wilder looked to see the pinkette waving for him, while Cana, Gray, and Erza smiled towards him. The blackette couldn't help but smile back as he made his way towards the four and seated himself among them.

"So, how was exploring the city?" Erza asked.

"It was pretty nice. I have a grasp on where everything is now. Climbing the cathedral at the center of town helped the most." The four stared at the boy with widened eyes.

"You climbed that? By yourself?" Natsu asked.

"Well, yeah. I'm used to climbing buildings. It's how I get around usually. Of course, my magic helped, too." Dym said as he formed an arm made of shadows and used it to set his bag upon the table.

"Wonder why I never thought of that." Natsu said to himself, this made Erza glare at him while Gray said,

"Because you would probably break something trying to do it."

"How about you keep your mouth shut, Ice Princess!" Natsu responded as he slammed his head against Gray's.

"Maybe when you go jump off a cliff, Flame Breath!" Suddenly Erza struck both them on the head with each of her fists.

"Both of you! No fighting! What have I told you?" Both did not answer, fear kept the pair silent. "All right, I guess I'll say it again: Everyone in this guild is like family, and this guild hall is our home. So, that means it's not a place for fighting." Both Gray and Natsu nodded while Dym smiled at the words she spoke.

"Hmm. Like a family." Dym mumbled to himself before he looked across the guild hall and saw Juniper laughing with others. Dym felt his smile widen at the sight.

"So, how did you meet Juniper?" Erza asked catching Dym's attention followed by a sense of unease falling over him. The raven haired boy didn't know if he should tell the truth, and this only made even more discomfort form.

Then the sound of someone clearing their throat made Dym look; only see Makarov eyeing him lazily with a half open eye. The boy smirked a bit before he looked back to Erza and said,  
"Well, to be honest, she and I met because I kinda tried to steal from her." A bashful smile replaced his smirk while the four looked at him with shocked expressions. "And, I may have gotten caught, followed by me trying to escape and her then promptly slamming me into the ground." Dym finished as he let out a chuckle at the memory while Natsu let out a howl of laughter.

"Bet that didn't feel too good!" Natsu said making Dym smile even more.

"No, it didn't. It actually knocked the wind out of me."

"Well, that is to be expected. You _did_ try to steal from her." Erza said with a smile of her own.

"Yeah, she is." Dym said as he glanced at her with a hint of strange fondness in his eyes.

"So, what happened after that?" Gray asked.

"Yeah!" Natsu chimed in. "Did she beat the snot out of you next?!" Dym chuckled at the question.

"No actually, she asked why I was living as a thief, and when I didn't answer, she put a spear to my throat! But, I still didn't answer, even though I was scared out of my wits!" This made Natsu let out a second howl of laughter along with a chuckle from the rest. "Well then, we were attacked by assassins!"

"No way!" Gray said, disbelief in his tone.

"No, it's true! And Juniper fought them off without even breaking a sweat! Man, I thought she was scary with a spear to my throat. When she was beating up the assassins, it was a whole other level!"

"I'm not surprised." Erza said. "She is quite powerful."

"You're telling me, and that's not even half of what happened!" Dym said as the feeling of excitement he felt hours previous began to return.

It was throughout that night, Dym told the four of what happened just the day previous. He spoke in great detail of the fights that occurred with the assassins both in the alley, and at the clock tower, and their swift escape to the train. Though, he did leave out the details of how both Juniper and Dym killed the leader's body guards; instead explaining that they were beaten unconscious. And, though he debated it, he did explain what happened to the ticket vendor and guards that attempted to intervene during the escape. He also did not explain what he and Juniper talked about entirely, instead just the bits of how she would train him if he joined Fairy Tail. He also replaced the real reason he was being chased, not yet feeling comfortable explain the _actual_ reason he was begin chased after. Instead, to the four, he had stolen a valuable necklace from the assassin's leader himself, which was technically only a half lie, just with the wrong person. And, with wide eyes, the four listened to him as they hanged on every word; to the point that even some of the other guild members began to become interested in the tale.

"Then, just as they were closing in on the train, fear had begun to set in on me. I looked around, trying to figure out what may help both, Juniper and I. Then, a thought came to my mind. I dug deep and concentrated before suddenly shouting, "Shadow Ōkami!" Suddenly, two massive wolves formed, teeth as large as my index finger! Eyes as red as Erza's hair, and fur as black as Gray's, shot up from the ground! The assassin's stopped, now fear began to consume them, easily visible in their eyes." Dym stopped, smile wide as he took a drink of his mug.

"And?" Natsu asked, tone impatient. "What happened next?!" Dym looked to the pink haired boy and smiled wider.

"We escaped. Upon seeing the mighty beasts they ran in horror, giving the train enough time to escape." Natsu groaned in disappointment.

"I was hoping for a cool fight on a moving train!"

"Indeed." Erza said with a nod. "That would have been most exciting." Dym shrugged to the two.

"Sorry, that's just how it went."

"The story was still exciting, though!" Cana said with a giggle.

"Yeah, wish I could've been there!" Natsu said. "I would have been able to fight them off single-handedly!" Dym chuckled to the scarf wearer.

"Well, I hope you don't have to meet them. They were nasty pieces of work. Ask Juniper." Dym said as he looked back to the mage, only to see her head down. Dym raised an eyebrow to this as he finished off the contents of his mug before hopping off his chair and made his way to her.

As the distance closed, he could hear the soft snores that emitted from the blonde. Dym smirked at the sight as he stood next to her, looking her features over. Her hair laid splayed out, making him move some it out of the way. This revealed the woman's peaceful expression as she slept. Dym chuckled at the sight as he leaned against the table.

Slowly, her eyes then begun to flutter open before they met with his.  
"Dym!" Juniper said as she wobbly sat up and spread her arms before wrapping them around the boy, who, with startled smile, did the same back. "W-where have you been? We we-." The blonde hiccuped, interrupting her sentence. "We were supposed to talk to Master Makarov together!" Dym simply stared at the blonde, confused at how drawn out and slurred her words were before he looked at the multiple mugs that sat on the table. Then it clicked.

"How drunk are you, Juniper?" Dym asked as he chuckled to himself. The woman in question looked at the table, then to her hand and begun to count on them before stopping at eight digits.

"This many!" Juniper replied with a wide smile, before she grabbed the nearest mug to her and downed it. She then held up nine digits and said. "This many, now!" She then begun to laugh hysterically, much to Dym's amusement who couldn't help but laugh himself.

"Well, for one, that doesn't _completely_ answer my question, but I guess that works. And maybe we should go home. Okay?" Dym suggested making Juniper frown.

"Ah! But why?" She asked while rewrapping her arm around Dym. "You haven't had a drink yet, have you?"

"Yes. I've had a few, but that's not the point." Dym said as he gently laid her arm back onto the table. "Shouldn't we go home and rest, that way you can start training me tomorrow?"

"Oh, come on! We'll have plenty of time to train, for now, let's celebrate! You're a member of Fairy Tail, now! That's all that matters at this moment!" Dym went to speak but was cut off as that of Makarov suddenly spoke.

"Juniper, he is right, you know? You both should go home." Dym nodded with a smile, but Makarov continued. "But she is right, as well, Dym. You should _properly_ celebrate. And that means being here with your new family, telling even more tales for the _whole day._ Not off exploring the city on your own for most of it, then coming her for a mere hour or so." Makarov finished with a wide smile as Dym sighed in defeat.

"All right." Dym said. "But after tomorrow, I want to start training. Okay, Juniper?" The mage simply nodded in response as she wrapped her arm around the boy and ordered.

"Help me up." Dym sighed as he looked over to his bag, still laying on the previous table, and pulled his it onto his right shoulder with the help of a shadow arm, much to Natsu's amusement as he let out, "Cool!" at the sight. Slowly, the pair begun to stand while the shadow wielder supported the blonde's weight. Though she was tall, she was, thankfully for Dym, rather light as he easily made his way towards the door. But just as he was about to leave, Dym turned to Makarov and mouthed a thanks making the guild master chuckle with a nod.

Dym exited the guild and entered the cool night air of Magnolia Town and took a deep breath. Allowing the fresh air to fill his lungs, once again.

"So, Juniper, where to?" Dym asked, smile wide, but Juniper only moaned for a moment before responding,

"Go up Central Path." She stopped, her alcohol filled mind trying to remember the lay out of the city. "Then, when you meet Kardia Cathedral, head towards the canals and I'll take it from there." Juniper said, allowing Dym to quickly figure out the information. While he was atop the cathedral, he did remember seeing said canals along the city.

"All right. You, uh. You just sleep I guess." Dym began to make his trek forward, but just as he took his third step the sound of retching was heard as Juniper puked to his right side, just barely missing the boy's arm and leg.

"Juniper." Dym said, his tone low.

"Y-yeah?" Juniper said, wiping her mouth clean.

"Please, next time," He turned his gaze to her, eyes cold and fierce. "Get off my back if you have to puke." Juniper shrugged as she gently bonked his head, much to his annoyance as he let out a low growl at the action.

"I didn't puke on you, shadow head. Calm down." Dym's eye twitched from the sound of such a childish nickname as he took a deep breath, calming his nerves while shaking his head. He resumed his trek towards the woman's house, hoping to get there soon as to not risk not nearly, or actually, getting puked on again.

Dym carried Juniper through the city in silence as the night air blew ever so gently against the two. It had only taken them 10 to 15 minutes to reach the older mage's house. Juniper directed them to it, and when they stood in front of it, she let out a little cheer before falling back asleep.

Dym stared at the building, looking over its structure and overall design. The building was a two story house that was a dark beige made of brick type that appeared to be Athens Gneiss. It had a red roof the slopped around 80 to 85 degrees. There were two small windows on the ground floor that were blocked by two purple curtains, while two other identical windows sat above them by just a few meters.

Dym used his shoulder to rub Juniper awake, but she remained asleep, much to his annoyance as he let out a sigh. He kept her on his back as he closed his eyes and concentrated. Slowly, a wisp of shadows rose from his hand and made its way to the door. He then placed it in the lock and began to feel around. Within two minutes he heard a low click, signifying he was in.

"Still got it." Dym said, pride evident in his voice. "Well, at least I hope I would." He said as he rolled his eyes at his own words before cracking his neck while he opened the door with the same shadow.

Upon entering, Dym looked around, trying to find some source of light. He flicked the switch which revealed the room to be quite spacious, as it was the main foyer which housed a three seat couch, a recliner on the left side of said couch and a coffee table in front of the furniture. To the left of that was a kitchen which held the usual appliances for a kitchen. Fridge, stove, and sink. If one were to look away from the stove, which was housed against the back wall, they would see a medium dining table with around four chairs. Behind the couch led to another open door, revealing a bathroom. A staircase sat a few feet from the bathroom's door that led upstairs to a railing, allowing the viewer to see the front door and foyer, but not the kitchen due to a wall protruding halfway from it. The scent of the house was that of an apple and rosemary mix.

Dym closed the door behind him before setting Juniper on the couch. He looked at the woman, who breathed in a slow and peaceful rhythm as her lips were parted ever so slightly. The boy smirked at the sleeping mage before he stretched and sat in the recliner next to the couch, before he let out a sigh. Dym looked around, taking in the interior to his memory before a sense of peace took over him.

He then begun to review how the day had gone. Save for the nightmare he had experienced on the train, he had quite an enjoyable time. He was able to buy some new books, scale some buildings, admire said buildings architecture, and, for the first time in many years, experienced what it was like to have seemingly actual friends. Dym let out a second sigh of relief as he looked around for a few seconds before he glanced to his bag and retrieved the same book he had read while on top of Kardia Cathedral. He flipped to where he had left off and continued.

And as his eyes read along the lines of text, he thought to himself,  
 _'I could get used to this.'_ …


	7. The Celebration of a New Member

The Celebration of a New Member

Darkness. The unending pitch black void that consumes all. This was all Dym could see as he frantically looked around, trying to make sense of his surroundings.

"W-what's going on?!" The boy said to himself before realizing his voice had changed. Once semi-deep, now high pitched, like that of a child's. "What is this?!" He asked aloud, trying to gain sense of the situation at hand. Then, a name was said,

"Dym…" The boy looked in the direction of the voice, revealing a lone beam of light illuminating a random section of the void with a figure standing in it. He looked closer, trying to see who it was that stood illuminated. "Dym." The voice called again, drawing the young boy towards the source. Like a moth to the flame. "Dym." The voice called a third time.

The boy's eyes widened.  
"M-mother?" Dym said, excitement now filled in his voice. "Is that you?!" He called out as his walk became a full blown sprint.

"Dym." The voice, now easily recognizable as his mother, called out a fourth time.

"I-I'm coming!" Dym called back. "Just hold on!" The woman, whose face was covered by her blonde hair, wore a strapless dark purple flowing night gown that hugged her shoulders and revealed her beautiful figure.

Slowly, she turned before walking out of the beam of light and into the darkness.

"W-wait! Mother! Wait!" Dym cried as he attempted to increase the speed of his sprint. He was now five meters away before the light disappeared. Dym halted his sprint, now searching for a new possible source of light. Then, another appeared just as he looked behind him.

This time, the light was had a slight red hue, but was just as bright as the previous. Dym easily recognized his mother now. However, the gown now looked more worn while a few cuts were seen on the body. But this did not stop him as he sprinted towards her new position.

"Why didn't you stop him, Dym?" His mother spoke, making him falter slightly.

"W-what?" He asked.

"Why didn't you stop him from hurting me?" Dym slowed to a walk as she continued. Her voice now filled with a hint of hate. "Don't you love me?"

"M-mother, of course I do!" Dym said, confusion forming in his eyes.

"Then why didn't you stop him?" She asked mundanely.

"I-I tried but-" Dym cut himself off as she slowly stepped out of the light for a second time.

"W-wait! Where are you going?! Mother!" Dym cried out as he went to resume his sprint but stopped as a new source of light appeared to his left. This time the light was an even darker shade of red, and the gown was now in tatters as many more cuts and rips were now seen. As well as blood leaked from a massive cut in the abdominal region.

"Don't tell me you were too weak!" His mother suddenly shouted, making Dym flinch. "Your father would have been able to stop him easily!"

"I-I tried! I'm sorry!" Dym said, his voice now meek and timid. But this only made the woman snort.

"Pathetic! Are you not his son as I once thought!?" Dym felt a weight slowly begin to from in the pit of his stomach as he heard the words his mother spoke. "If you truly loved me, you would have been able to stop that man!" Dym held his hands to his head, shutting his eyes tight as tears began to flood them.

"P-please! M-mother, I'm sorry! I-I tried!" Dym said as he tried to hold back his tears.

"Your apology will not bring me back, Dym!" She shouted as she sliced her hand through the air. "You don't love me! You're a pathetic, worthless creature! You do not deserve your life!" Dym fell to his knees while he kept his eyes shut.

"M-mother! Pl-please stop! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, damn it! I tried, but I wasn't strong enough! I know this! I was too weak!" Suddenly Dym's mother shot forward with the beam of light and grasped at his throat, cutting of his ability to breathe.

"You're damn right you're too weak! Look at you!" She said, disgust in her voice. "You can't even stop me from chocking you!" Dym indeed tried to fight off the grip that held him tightly by his neck. His fingers fought with the ones that now slowly began to raise him off the ground as she said, "And I'm dead!" She used her free hand to move the hair that blocked her face to reveal her slit throat as blood now poured freely from the wound; staining the gown she wore even more. "Are you so pathetic that you can't stop a dead woman from chocking you?!"

"M-mother!" Dym chocked out, still trying to stop the hand wrapped around his throat. "P-please, stop! I-I can't br-breathe!" But this only made the grip tighten as Dym's mother shouted,

"Pathetic! If you wish to breathe, then stop me! Stop me, Dym, just like you should have stopped him!" Slowly, darkness begun to cloud Dym's vision as his hands fell to his sides. His body was shutting down and he couldn't do anything to stop it.

"Come on, Dym!" His mother shouted. "Fight! Fight, damn it! Fight like you-" Suddenly a new beam of light appeared, this one a pure white, blinding the bleeding woman as she dropped Dym.

He fell to the floor, gasping for air as he breathed in as much as he could. He looked at the second beam, trying to make sense of what was going on.

"What is this?!" His mother screamed as she then looked at Dym and reached out to him before a polearm landed in between the two. One with swirling runes engraved into the entire body of its handle before ending at the blade. Dym's eyes widened at the familiar weapon before he looked back to the blinding light.

"Dym!" A voice called, easily recognizable as Juniper's. "Take my hand!" As one now reached out to him from the beam. He looked at it before back to his mother, who now had begun to contort and twitch in a disturbing manner as she shouted in a deranged tone,

"Dym! Don't you dare leave me! Don't you fucking dare!" She lunged at him, but he dodged the attack by rolling to his right into the other light. He then looked back to the hand as Juniper called out,

"You can trust me! I swear on my life!" Dym's eyes widened as another voice came, that of Makarov.

"If you wish to take your first steps into leaving your old self behind, you must do it _yourself_." Dym then looked back to the creature that was previously his mother, now a contorting and constantly changing creature of horror as it now continually switched between his mother, the man that murdered her, and some strange monster made of shadows.

" **DYM!** " It screeched. " **DON'T YOU DARE GO! I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN IF YOU DO! MARK MY WORDS!** " Dym got back to his feet, horror now filled his eyes at the monster before him.

"Dym! You can trust me!" The boy looked back to Juniper's hand and leaped to it, just barely dodging a second lunge from the monster now below him as it screeched out his name while he was pulled into endless and blinding light...

* * *

Dym shot up from the chair he had been sitting in, causing the book on his chest to fall to the floor. His eyes darted from every angle, searching for the monster he had just witnessed mere moments ago.

"Hey!" He heard a voice call out. Junipers. Childlike in tone, but a hint of worry prevalent. "You okay, Dym?" He did not respond right away. Instead he remained silent for a few moments before he swallowed the lump in his throat and allowed himself to breathe.

"Y-yeah. Sorry, just got startled awake by… everyone outside." He lied, hoping Juniper would believe him.

"Really? The kids outside that are laughing along the canal?" She questioned but when Dym did not respond, she did not push. Instead she asked, "How do you want your eggs?" Worry in her voice now gone, now full childlike and filled with joy. And with a growl from Dym's stomach, he realized how hungry he truly was.

"Oh. Umm, sunny side up? With toast, I guess?" He asked, as if he would be rejected for asking for such a request.

"Coming right up!" Juniper said cheerfully as she then begun to hum to herself.

Dym leaned back in the chair, his heart still racing from the dream he had just experienced. But slowly, it begun to return back to a normal pace as he took deep breaths. He then retrieved the book from the floor and placed it back into his bag.

"Hey, Dym!" Juniper called. "How about you go get cleaned up, okay? Don't want you to be all stinky for your new guild mates, right?" She said with a giggle, making Dym smirk a bit from the sound.

"Yeah, no problem." He responded as he got up and grabbed his bag. As he walked towards the bathroom behind the couch he grabbed a few articles of fresh clothing, a black polyester shirt, tan cargo pants, and white socks. But he stopped as he looked them over to see the wear and tear of them.

"Hey, Juniper?" He called back to the blonde. "It all right with you if we go clothes shopping after we eat? Might as well look presentable to my new "guild mates" while I'm at it." Dym said as he begun to strip out of his dirty clothing, but kept the door open just a bit so he could hear her response.

"Sure! Might as well since you won't have to _steal_ them anymore!" She replied in a joking tone.

"Hey, I bought my clothes when I started getting enough jewels, thank you!" Dym said back, smile wide.

"Mhm, sure you did, shadow boy!" Dym lightly growled at the nickname.

"Stop calling me that!"

"Okay, shadow head!"

"Or that, damn it!"

"Language, or else you'll be eating overcooked eggs with burnt toast! And go shower, already!" She called back, a hint of a motherly tone in her voice. Dym sighed as he closed the door and began to run water.

Slowly though, the smile vanished. And with it, a look of deep thought.  
"What was that dream about?" He said aloud. "I know I've had some similar, but the way that… _thing_ transformed. Man, nothing like I've seen before. And that ending…" Dym let out a sigh as he leaned on the wall while absently placing his hand in the water, waiting for it to heat up. "Whatever, I've had dreams like that all my life, anyway." He looked at his own reflection and stared into his own eyes before he snorted. He then glanced over his body, seeing all the scars that he obtained from the night of his mother's murder to the one's he had obtained from being an assassin and thief. He then turned, facing away from it and stepped into the shower, washing away the filth from the days previous; mind slowly drifting towards wondering what the guild would be like today.

After washing away the dirt and grime from the past days he stepped out before quickly drying off with a nearby towel and got dressed. Upon leaving the restroom he was embraced by the smell of eggs, bacon, and toast; making his stomach growl a second time. Dym chuckled at the sound as he turned the corner that entered the kitchen to see Juniper standing by the stove as she placed two fresh eggs, both sunny side up, next to some bacon; all the while humming a soft tune.

Juniper's blonde hair was tied up in a tight pony tail and wore essentially the same clothes that she had worn yesterday, just a different colour. The blouse being purple and the pants now a maroon. She turned to face Dym and gave a warm smile.

"Just got done with your eggs. Hope you're hungry!" She said, with the tilt of her head and childlike tone. Dym stared at her, a slight blush forming on his face. The way she hummed, the way her hair was tied, even the tilt of her head. It all reminded him of his mother. But nothing like of his dream. No, this brought back happier memories. Those of summer mornings when he was much more innocent and ignorant of the world's cruelties. "Control to Dym. You in there?" Juniper said as she by now had placed the plate on the table, along with a glass of milk, and stood in front of the boy, gently tapping his head.

He looked absently before giving a shake of his head and nodded with a bashful smile.  
"Y-yeah. Sorry, Juniper. Just not used to stuff like this." He half-lied. He was indeed not used to having breakfast made for him. Usually he would have bought or made it himself, not by someone like Juniper. She gave another smile and ruffled his hair, much like a mother would to her son, making Dym stiffen ever so slightly.

"Well, let's eat, then we'll head out to get you some new clothes." She then wrapped her arm around his and shouted with glee. "Then we go to the guild and celebrate!" Dym smiled with a nod.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan!" He said as he sat down with the blonde, who had already made her own breakfast. The same as Dym's only she had that of orange juice and an additional egg.

The two ate in relative silence, save for Juniper's continual humming, which Dym couldn't help but smile at. Afterwards, they quickly cleaned up their plates and put everything away. They then put on their footwear and were just about to leave when Juniper stopped and looked at Dym and asked,

"Did you brush your teeth?" He stared, confused and slightly dumbfounded at the random question.

"Umm, no?" She smirked.

"Well, go do it." Dym's eye twitched slightly.

"You're joking… right?" Juniper only stared at the boy, smirk still prevalent. "You're serious aren't you…?" She nodded. "Why? It's not like they're _your_ teeth."

"Doesn't matter. If we're going to live together, I'm not going to have your stinky breath around my nose!" She answered with the crossing of her arms.

Dym gave an annoyed sigh as he turned and muttered under his breath.  
"Holy shit you're a weird one." Only to receive a slap to the back of his head.

"Language!" Juniper said sternly before reverting back to her childlike tone. "And you can find a spare toothbrush in the cabinet!" Dym only growled in response as he entered the bathroom and proceeded to do as he had been ordered to do, all the while thinking, _'Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!'_ As a way to spite the woman that had smacked him so many times across the head for cursing.

As he finished by rinsing out his mouth he opened the cabinet back up to place the toothbrush back in as the water to the sink still ran. But just as he was about to close the door to it, he smelled a familiar scent. That of blood.

Dym stopped mid shut and slowly opened it back up and sniffed the air. He could detect just a hint of it, and after looking to see that Juniper was now sitting on the couch humming quietly while reading a book, back turned to him, he began to look around. After moving a bottle of some random lotion, he found his target. A razor blade, with the sharp edge coated with a thin layer of a red substance dried onto it.

He looked back out at Juniper, only to see her still sitting in her original position, before returning back to the blade. He lightly picked it up and began to inspect, as if it was the key piece to a criminal investigation. He stared at it for many seconds before giving it a light sniff, causing his nostrils to become filled with the previous scent, only amplified.

He studied it for a few more seconds before lightly putting it back into place, just as he had found it, and recovered it with the bottle. He closed the cabinet before finally shutting off the tap and walked out back into the living room.

Juniper looked up at him, smile wide and tone cheerful,  
"Ready to go?" She asked as she grabbed a nearby satchel and slung it over her shoulder. Childlike wonder still easily in her eyes, which Dym studied for a brief second before nodding.

"Yup." She then walked out the door, Dym in tow and the two began their trek through Magnolia Town...

* * *

After a few minutes of walking through the city's streets, the two found themselves in the Central Path. Stores lining both sides while behind them sat Kardia Cathedral. Dym stole a glance at it and smirked. He would have to climb it again soon and read once more on top of the building.

Dym's attention then turned back to Juniper, who walked forward, humming a little tune to herself as usual. He glanced at her every so often, studying her expression, and occasionally her eyes. He searched them, trying to find anything within them besides that of happiness. Since his discovery he felt suspicion steadily rising within him. Not the same as before his talk with Makarov just yesterday, but of what could have possibly made her use it.

It was obvious what the blade was used for. Even a buffoon could figure it out. But what? What could possibly drive this happy go-lucky woman to do such a thing? Dym glanced to her arms and wrist. No scars were visible so that means she most likely used the blade on her legs. A smart idea as the type of clothing she wore did indeed cover that flesh.

Suddenly, Juniper spoke,  
"There it is!" She pointed to a two story building.

The building was made of a simple brick design that was painted purple. There were two display windows on both sides of the double doors in the center of the shop. In both windows were two mannequins standing side by side in random positions, all four with random articles of clothing that symbolized the four different seasons. Above the display window were two simple windows that in between them read: "Emily's Clothing Store."

Dym raised an eyebrow at the building before Juniper grabbed ahold of his hand and sprinted towards it. Dym tried his best not to fall as they rushed inside. This revealed a wooden interior with rich oak floor, baby blue painted walls, which were lined with shelves that held shoes and other articles of clothing, and in the center were multiple racks of clothing. In the back were five dressing rooms that, from left to right, had doors painted red, orange, yellow, green, and blue. To the right of the entrance was a simple desk where a young woman that stood a height of 5'5" with rich brown hair that almost rivaled the floor, with gray eyes. She wore a red short sleeved shirt with a heart in the center, and simple black pants.

The woman suddenly looked up from the magazine she had been reading, and after a second of shock, smiled brightly.  
"Juniper!" She cheerfully said as she stepped out from behind the counter, revealing she wore blue heals, and hugged the blonde.

"Hello, Emily!" Juniper responded as she returned the hug eagerly. "Where is your daughter?" She asked after looking around for a brief moment.

"She is out on her break." She answered before her gaze looked towards Dym, who stood looking at the interior of the building. "And who is this?" Emily asked.

"This is Dym." This caught the boy's attention as he looked at the two women. "He needs some new clothing." Emily nodded with a smile.

"Well, we can help with that." She said.

"Lovely. Dym, you go ahead and browse, okay? I need to speak with Emily." Dym stared for a moment before giving a simple nod and began to look around.

Once the boy was out of ear shot, Emily looked to Juniper and said,  
"I'm surprised, Juniper." The blonde gave a nod.

"I know."

"How long have you two been together?"

"About two days." Emily raised an eyebrow.

"So not too long, but a good amount of time nonetheless. Has he been to the guild yet? Met anyone?"

"Yes, he has. From what I can remember he seems to have made good friends with everyone. Apparently he told them about a "Daring escape from blood thirsty assassins!" Which, in all honesty, isn't far from the truth." Emily raised her eyebrow a second time before she shrugged, not wanting to know as of yet.

Instead, the brunette asked,  
"So, what caused this sudden change?" Juniper glanced to Dym.

"I've… agreed to train him, if he came to Fairy Tail with me. But…" Juniper paused, glancing over to Dym a second time, who had a good amount of clothing in his hands. "Makarov mentioned something yesterday." Emily looked to Dym herself and smiled at the boy as he looked to the two women and gave a small wave as he entered a dressing room. "He believes the reason I can handle being around Dym is due to his age, which I agree with. The thing is, I'm worried that…" Juniper stopped again, not being able to finish.

"You'll form an attachment that may become like-" Emily attempted to finish but stopped as Juniper gave her a look, easily signifying for her to halt her words. Emily did, having learned to do so over the years she had known the mage.

"Yes… I'm hoping it shall just remain an apprentice & partner relationship but-"

"Nonetheless," Emily said, cutting off Juniper who looked up at the business owner. "You'll do fine. You're strong, June." Her tone then became much friendlier as she then said, "So, have you seen Janet since you've been back? She always loves hearing your stories!" Juniper gave a look of confusion before noticing a figure approach from her left.

She looked to see Dym, who now wore a brand new set of clothing. A black leather jacket that came down to his hips with charcoal gray polyester shirt underneath that fitted perfectly to his athletic form. For his lower body he had dark brown cargo pants with a simple black belt and black boots.

Juniper smiled at Dym and gave an approving nod, who returned the gesture.

"You look good." Juniper said.

"And handsome!" Emily chimed in making Dym give a slight and sudden blush as Juniper giggled.

"Yes well, thank you, Emily." Juniper said as she dug through her satchel and produced a random amount of Jewels. Emily looked Dym over before selecting the right amount for the clothing and returned the change to Juniper.

"Well, if you're ready, let's head to the guild." Dym nodded before he quickly jogged back to retrieve his old clothes and tossed them in the trash.

"But what of your other clothes?" Emily asked. Dym looked at them then gave a shrug.

"You mind if I just put them in your trash. I honestly don't plan on wearing them again anytime soon." Emily gave a confused nod, much to Dym's satisfaction as he flashed a smile to the business owner and threw them in a random trashcan.

The duo then left out the front door, leaving the brunette to her own devices. She settled back behind the counter and began to read once more. But, she glanced out the window for a brief moment to see the pair walking down the street, a smile on Juniper's face, a smirk on Dym's. Emily allowed a smile form on her own before returning back to the magazine...

* * *

Dym and Juniper walked up to the front gates of Fairy Tail. And as the duo did so, Dym couldn't help but feel a hint of excitement as his thoughts began to wonder what awaited him inside.

The two opened the doors to reveal laughter and cheering. Dym smiled at the scene before he heard Natsu call,  
"Dym!" He looked, to see the pinkette sitting with Gray and Erza.

The raven haired boy went to join them but stopped before he looked at Juniper.

"You go on ahead." She said before glancing at the trio with a hint of weariness in her eyes. "I am going to get a drink." Dym only nodded as he then headed for the table.

"Those clothes suit you." Erza said, as Dym nodded while seating himself across from her.

"Thanks." He replied. "I felt I might as well get something new to where if this'll be my new home."

"So you going to tell us another stories?" Natsu asked, excitement in his eyes.

"Stories of what?" Dym asked in confusion.

"Of your time as a thief!" Gray answered, making Dym raise an eyebrow.

"Why would you all care about me stealing? I mean, granted, I can understand last night's story. What with the fights and all, but most stories of me stealing are just slipping past guards or sneaking into homes with a bit of lock picking. And, it's not really the most honest or role model-esque profession."

"None the less, they are rather interesting to hear." Erza said with a grin. "Hearing it from the point of view of an actual thief is much better compared to books that are most likely just fantasy. And, just because you tell us, does not mean we would follow in your previous footsteps. Simple story telling will not change a thing." Dym simply chuckled at the scarlet's words, but after a moment of thinking he looked at them. This revealed a hint of excitement and curiosity in their eyes.

He let out a small sigh before giving a smile.  
"You really want to hear more stories of how I stole thing?" All three nodded, and even some random guild members behind them gave a nod with a raising of their cups. Dym let out another chuckle before saying to Erza, "You're pretty persuasive, Erza. Very well." He sighed as he leaned back into his chair, pondering his past memories of a good job he had pulled. Then, one in particular came to mind.

"How about… the time I stole the necklace from the very same assassins I told you about last night?" All the eyes gazing upon Dym lit up with even more excitement and curiosity.

"Yeah!" Natsu said. "Tell us how you got them after you in the first place!" Dym chuckled at the scar wearer's enthusiasm as he stood up and got a drink.

"All right. I will, Natsu." Dym said as he took a quick sip, a smile across his lips. "It begins on a dark night, with a slight chill in the air. The moon is half full as it hangs lazily in the sky. Just barely illuminating the streets of some random town I happened to have found myself in." As Dym continued to explain in great detail what had happened, across the guild hall, listening with half smile, sat Juniper. While next to her, legs crossed with staff resting against him as always, was Makarov. He had a full smile as most listened to the newest member's story.

"Don't you think it's a bit of a bad idea for him to be telling these stories like their achievements?" Juniper asked Makarov, who gave a slight look of surprise.

"That's a rather serious question and tone, especially for _you_." Juniper only sighed with a slight glare before looking back to Dym, who now was acting out a bit like he was hiding behind something, as she took a sip of her drink.

"It's just the fact that he's supposed to be leaving his old life behind. Not retelling it like some great story." Makarov chuckled.

"But to everyone else they _are_ great stories. Even I think so. He'll be fine, Juniper." Makarov said whole heartedly. Even if the stories were about him stealing things, they were indeed a good listen. And the fact that Dym enjoyed telling them, evident by the wide smile and his own excitement in his eyes, showed that the boy was indeed ready, and trying, to become part of the guild. "He and I had a talk last night, and I know, he's ready to part of our guild." Makarov finished as he closed his eyes and became more relaxed. Juniper only stared at him for a moment, eyebrow raised but decided against asking him. Instead, just took a sip of her drink and relaxed herself.

Then, Makarov asked randomly,  
"Why not go join your apprentice?" The blonde only chuckled at the question before saying,

"You know why, Master Makarov." She replied while taking another sip of her drink.

"Indeed." Makarov sighed, before he became silent for the final time.

Juniper glanced back at Makarov before returning her gaze at Dym and all who had now gathered around the table and him. She heard him mention how he "Was sprinting as fast as he could, both adrenaline and fear keeping is legs moving." Then how he, "Whipped around at the last second, just barely using his daggers of shadows to block an incoming throwing knife!" All looked with widened eyes, even the adults at the tale, making Juniper chuckle at the expressions.

Part of her wondered if all he was saying was true. Most likely, it was. But, maybe just a hint exaggerated, just like his body movement to help emphasize the story. But that didn't matter. She smiled at the raven haired boy, a sense of peace and pride coming over her; slowly replacing any doubts she previously had. She could tell by the look in everyone's eyes that he was wanted to stay. She could tell that made him feel the presence of a family. A presence he had not truly felt in a long time, and that was increased the look of happiness in Dym's eyes. A look that said to Juniper, that he was going to stay.

Slowly, the blonde mage rose from her seat and headed towards the crowded table and stood with everyone. They all listened to Dym as he moved like he was fighting off multiple invisible attackers.

"Then!" Dym said. "I dodged to the right before having to instantly jump back, narrowly missing, yet another blade! I knew things were getting to hectic. I was going to have to escape now, or I would lose both, my prize and, my very life." Dym spoke with a hint of drama in his voice, and this helped keep his listeners interested. All their eyes were wide, wondering what was going to happen next.

"Were you killed?!" Natsu suddenly asked, making Gray sigh as he questioned the pinkette,

"How would he have been killed if he's right there?!" But all ignored him as Dym said,

"Sadly, yes." He answered, looking down solemn. Then he smiled wide before clenching his fist as he said, "But I lived!" This made a few people cheer, clearly the alcohol making them not see the lack of logic in Dym's words.

"B-but that doesn't make any-" Gray tried to say, but was shushed by Erza.

"I want to hear what happens next." She said, eyes filled with excitement. Gray stared at her shocked before he returned to doing just the same with a small grumble.

Juniper chuckled at the actions of the two, and of Dym's words while she pulled up a chair of her own and sat down back down, taking a sip of her mug.

"I looked around, trying to find some possible way for me to escape! Then, like the sun parting the clouds on a rainy day, I saw it!" All leaned in, trying to guess what he would say next. "The chandelier!" Dym said, as he pointed to one that hung from the guild's ceiling. "I quickly ducked an incoming attack from an assassin before grabbing his arm and snapping it in two, like that of a twig!" Some people cheered with waves. "He yelled in pain, and as he did, I swooped in and grabbed the same blade he had just tried to use against me. I then aimed and threw it with pinpoint accuracy, sending it flying through the air before meeting its target. The ropes holding the chandelier!" Dym stopped to take a sip of his drink, quenching his dry throat before he continued. "It came crashing down, shattering into millions of pieces of sparkling shards of glass!" Dym moved his hands to make an explosion type motion along with the typical sound effect someone makes.

"What happened next?!" Erza suddenly blurted out, excited to her very core as he gently hopped up and down on her feet. Juniper took note of this and chuckled to herself as she looked to Dym.

"In the confusion, I used my abilities to pull myself up onto the building's rafters. Followed by hopping from each towards the exit. Freedom was within my very grasp!" Dym said, clenching his fist towards the guild's door. "The adrenaline rushed through my veins, not letting up, even for a second! Then, just as I was a meter away, a dagger shot past my head!" Dym whipped his head back while saying, "I averted my gaze, just for a second, only to see the leader of the assassin's shout out while raising his fist into the air," Dym changed his voice into that of a slightly older man. "I'll get you some day, Dym! Mark my very words!" All laughed or giggled at the voice and mimicking of the man's actions. "I gave him a salute, before hopping down from the rafters and out the door, into the night!" All stared silent, eyes wide with amazement before erupting into a round of applause as they cheered.

Dym gave a slight bow to the clapping, eyes alight with happiness that anyone could see. Juniper leaned back in her chair, clapping with everyone else as her eyes caught Dym's. He gave an embarrassed smile before Juniper gave him a thumbs up.

Then, Natsu suddenly asked,  
"You mean that's it?! They didn't chase after you?!" Dym grinned with a wink as he finished his drink.

"Maybe they did. Maybe they didn't. Maybe I'll tell the rest another time." He said as he sat down on a table's bench.

"Tell us another!" Someone randomly shouted, making everyone else cheer in agreement.

Dym looked around, a hint of surprise in his eyes before he let out a chuckle.  
"All right." He said as he got up and got a second drink. As he refilled his mug he began to speak, his tone low and mysterious. "It began, as always, on a moonlit night, in a town where most honest folk were in bed by the time I was running across their rooftops." All listened intently, ears begging for more details while their minds tried to guess what was going to happen.

And as they all did this, Juniper chuckled at the display before looking over at Makarov, who gave a knowing smile before closing his eyes. But, anyone could see by the slight lean in his posture that he was just as interested…


End file.
